HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

House Stationery

Andrew Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what plans the Commission has to relax the rules relating to the use of House stationery.

Nick Harvey: The Commission is currently considering the implications of rising levels of expenditure on House stationery and pre-paid envelopes, which falls on the Administration Estimate. The Commission will continue its deliberations on this issue at its next meeting later this month.

Communal Hairbrushes/Combs

Anthony Steen: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission 
	(1) what the cost has been of undertaking the risk assessment of communal hairbrushes and combs in hon. Members' washrooms;
	(2)  how many cases of (a) communicable diseases and (b) infestations have been reported relating to the use of combs and hairbrushes in the hon. Members' washrooms in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  what evidence the Health and Safety Executive provided to the Administration Committee of the risk of communicating (a) HIV and (b) hepatitis through the use of communal hairbrushes and combs.

Nick Harvey: The cost of conducting the risk assessment of communal hairbrushes and combs in Members' washrooms was staff time only. The assessment involved Serjeant at Arms staff and professionals from the Parliamentary Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Service and was undertaken as part of their normal duties. Advice was sought from other professionals in relevant enforcement authorities (i.e. Westminster Council's Environmental Health Department and the Health and Safety Executive) at no cost to the House.
	There have been no reported cases of communicable diseases or infestations relating to the use of communal combs and hairbrushes in Members washrooms over the last 10 years. However health, safety and hygiene standards now mean that the House has a duty of care properly to control health and safety risks to those working at or visiting the House of Commons. A risk assessment was undertaken resulting in the removal of communal combs and hairbrushes as a preventative health measure, following submission of the matter to the Administration Committee in the last Parliament. The risks of communicating disease or infection was one of a number of risk factors highlighted that contributed to the overall risk assessment and decision, though it is acknowledged in the risk assessment that the likelihood of contracting HIV or hepatitis is extremely low. A copy of the risk assessment as provided to the Administration Committee has been placed in the Library.

Westminster Hall

Andrew Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission 
	(1)  what arrangements will be put in place to allow Westminster Hall debates and Question Time to continue once Westminster Hall closes for major works at the end of 2005;
	(2)  what arrangements will be put in place to replace the Jubilee Room facilities, including the ability to use outside caterers for receptions when Westminster Hall closes for major works at the end of 2005;
	(3)  what plans there are to provide additional small meeting rooms when the W rooms, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and Inter-Parliamentary Union rooms will cease to be available due to the major works in Westminster Hall at the end of 2005.

Nick Harvey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 June 2005, Official Report, columns 1179–80W.

PRIME MINISTER

Correspondence

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Prime Minister when he will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Beaconsfield of (a) 14 June and (b) 15 June.

Tony Blair: The request for information set out in the hon. Member's letter of 14 June is being handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. A reply will be issued within the statutory 20 working-day limit set out in the Act.

Warwick Agreement

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Prime Minister what arrangements he is making for the implementation of the Warwick agreement with trade unions; and how much of the agreement has been implemented.

Tony Blair: The policies agreed at the Warwick National Policy Forum, which range from the introduction of ID cards to the reform of public services and improving people's rights at work, are a programme for implementation over the life of this Parliament. We have already started making progress including, for example, consulting on a package of family-friendly proposals to be implemented by 2007, including an extra three months of maternity pay.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Legislative Scrutiny

Graham Allen: To ask the Leader of the House which Bills the Government plan to submit for pre-legislative scrutiny in this parliamentary session.

Nigel Griffiths: The Government have announced that they intend to publish the following bills in draft this session for pre-legislative scrutiny:
	Counter-Terrorism, Coroner Reform, Legal Services, Marine, Pensions (subject to the outcome of the Pensions Review) and Tourism (Wales).
	The draft Corporate Manslaughter Bill has already been published in draft. Other bills may be published in draft as the session progresses. My right hon. Friend the Leader of the House will ensure that the Liaison Committee is kept informed of developments.

Legislative Scrutiny

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Leader of the House if he will bring forward proposals to improve the effectiveness of House of Commons Committees in scrutinising legislation.

Nigel Griffiths: This is certainly a matter which my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House believes that the Modernisation Committee may wish to consider over the course of the Parliament.

House of Lords Reform

Bob Spink: To ask the Leader of the House what recent discussions he has had on the timetable for House of Lords reform.

Geoff Hoon: I have had a number of recent discussions with ministerial colleagues on the Government's plans for House of Lords reform.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Electoral Law

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the Department's plans to reform the law on duress and undue influence on voters; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The Government plans to strengthen the laws against electoral offences. We are consulting on proposals to do so as set out in the Electoral Administration policy paper published in May 2005.

Voter Participation

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans she has to take steps to increase voter participation.

Harriet Harman: We have responded positively to recommendations made by the Electoral Commission for further improvements to the electoral system. We must recognise, however, the key role that politicians and political parties have to play in engaging the electorate to make them wish to turn out to vote at elections.

Freedom of Information Act

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans she has to review the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Bridget Prentice: The Freedom of Information Act has only been in operation for six months and represents a new way of working for public authorities. Already there is evidence of the beginnings of the long-term culture change that the Act was designed to drive forward. The Government will monitor the Act's progress on an on-going basis and take action as necessary.

Electoral Registration

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that electoral registration officers have adequate resources.

Harriet Harman: It is for individual local authorities when setting budgets for electoral registration to weigh up their spending priorities against the resources they have available to them. The Government considers that there needs to be more transparency in the information that is available about the funding of electoral registration, and we are looking into ways of achieving this.

Electoral Registration

Robert Wilson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what her policy is on use of national insurance numbers as an identifier in electoral registration.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Member for Reading East to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Ludlow.

Electoral Registration

Edward Leigh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what her policy is on use of national insurance numbers as an identifier in electoral registration.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Member to the answer Igave to the hon. Member for Ludlow (Mr. Dunne) earlier.

Judicial Appointments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when the Lord Chancellor last met the Lord Chief Justice to discuss judicial appointments.

Bridget Prentice: The Lord Chancellor regularly meets the Lord Chief Justice and other senior judges to discuss a wide range of issues including judicial appointments. His most recent meeting with the Lord Chief Justice was on 4 July.

Judicial Appointments

David Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what her policy is on the minimum legal qualifications necessary for a judicial appointment.

Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Member for Clwyd West to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for North East Milton Keynes.

Voter Registration (Service Personnel)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans she has to change voter registration arrangements for military service personnel; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: We are in discussion with the Ministry of Defence and are reviewing the voter registration arrangements for military service personnel.

Cohabitation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether the proposal for increased legal protection for cohabiters will apply to all forms of cohabitation.

Bridget Prentice: There are currently no proposals to give increased legal protection to cohabitants. However, the Law Commission published its ninth programme of law reform on 22 March, which includes a project on cohabitation. This project will focus on a review of the remedies available to opposite and same sex cohabiting couples on the termination of their relationship by separation or by death. This project is likely to focus on relationships of an intimate nature, rather than on cohabiting family members or friends.

Community Legal Service Direct

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether it is planned that all staff answering inquiries at Community Legal Service Direct will be qualified lawyers.

Bridget Prentice: All advisers working within the framework of Community Legal Service Direct meet the requirements of the Legal Services Commission's Specialist Quality Mark. This means that they must either have a professional legal qualification, or be able to evidence that they deliver at least 12 hours of legal casework per week. Advisers must also be subject to the supervision of a more experienced colleague, who must maintain a broad portfolio of recent experience.

Community Legal Service Direct

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what her plans are for Community Legal Service Direct.

Bridget Prentice: The plans for Community Legal Service Direct are to improve the service through the website, telephone service and information leaflets continuously, based on user feedback. It is also planned to increase the number of people helped by the service as follows:
	
		
			  2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 New telephone advice matters 23,000 60,000 
			 Website visits 631,000 850,000 
			 Leaflets downloaded 121,000 150,000 
			 Leaflets distributed 1,700,000 2,400,000 
		
	
	These targets are included in Public Sector Agreement5 for the Legal Services Commission and Department for Constitutional Affairs, which emerged following SR2004.

Community Legal Service Direct

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much had been spent from the public purse on the Community Legal Service Direct project as at 28 June.

Bridget Prentice: Expenditure on Community Legal Service Direct and its predecessor services in the financial year 2004–05 was £6,927,000. This includes pre-launch costs for Community Legal Service Direct (launched 14 July 2004) and the costs of running its predecessor services from 1 April 2004 to 13 July 2004. The figure also includes costs associated with the Website, leaflet production and distribution, the telephone service, marketing activities and materials and the costs of staff working in the Community Legal Service Direct Team within the Legal Services Commission.

Community Legal Service Direct

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the progress of Community Legal Service Direct.

Bridget Prentice: Since its launch in July 2004 Community Legal Service Direct has established itself as an important new element within the range of publicly funded legal services. The telephone service has received over 300,000 calls, and now regularly receives more than 30,000 calls per month. Many of these are for assistance in finding a local legal adviser, but more than 30,000 people have obtained direct assistance over the phone.
	The website www.clsdirect.org.uk has received nearly 750,000 unique visits since its launch, with the average visitor looking at six pages. More than 1.7 million legal information leaflets have been distributed in the first year of operation as more and more are added to the range.

Data Protection Act

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps her Department is taking to inform (a) other departments and (b) agencies of the position of hon. Members representing their constituencies in terms of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Bridget Prentice: The Cabinet Office provides relevant guidance on the Data Protection Act in Section 16 of the Data Protection Act 1998: Standards and Best Practice Handbook for Government Departments". This is available on the Cabinet Office website.
	The Information Commissioner also provides Guidance on the disclosure of sensitive data to Members of Parliament carrying out constituency casework.

Election Pilots (Guidance)

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether the Department will issue guidance to local authorities on applying for (a) all-postal voting pilots and (b) other forms of election pilot in (i) forthcoming by-elections and (ii) the 2005 local elections.

Harriet Harman: No decision has yet been taken about issuing a prospectus to local authorities on piloting in by-elections or the May 2006 local elections. If we are intending to encourage electoral pilots of innovative voting methods, a prospectus will be issued.

Election Turnout

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment the Government have made of the effect of the systems of proportional representation as used in England on election turnout.

Harriet Harman: An internal review of the experiences of the new UK voting systems introduced for the devolved Administrations, the European Parliament and London Assembly elections is being conducted by officials within my Department. It is at an early stage, and any decisions regarding the next steps for the review will be taken in due course.

Legal Aid

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the average cost of a (a) public defender and (b) private legal aid lawyer was in the last period for which figures are available, broken down by region.

Bridget Prentice: Private solicitors firms and barristers carry out a wide variety of public funded work and are paid from different schemes within the Criminal Defence Service (CDS). It is therefore not possible to provide an average cost. However, an independent research programme has been continually evaluating the progress of the Public Defender Service(PDS) since its inception. The results of the research, including a full assessment of the cost of the scheme in comparison to private criminal defence practitioners, is due to be published in autumn 2005.

Legal Aid

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was paid in legal aid fees for (a) civil work and (b) criminal work in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Payments made by the Legal Services Commission for civil and criminal work, in cash, since 2000–01 are shown in the table:
	
		£ million
		
			  Civil Criminal (below Crown Court) Criminal (Crown Court and above) 
		
		
			 2000–01 791.9 450.4 422.0 
			 2001–02 734.5 508.3 474.1 
			 2002–03 812.8 526.4 569.3 
			 2003–04 897.9 533.5 645.0 
			 2004–05 845.9 509.7 682.4

Legal Aid

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many law firms practised legal aid work in 1999 for (a) criminal law, (b) general civil law, (c) immigration law, (d) family law, (e) housing law and (f) mental health law, broken down by region.

Bridget Prentice: The figures for law firms, by region, who practised in criminal, family and other civil law in the 1999–2000 financial year are in the table. It has not been possible to break this down into the other categories requested in the time allowed.
	
		Number of providers paid by region and type of work 1999–2000
		
			  Crime Family Other civil 
		
		
			 No. 1 London 1,329 1,674 2,009 
			 No. 2 South Eastern 391 637 605 
			 No. 3 Southern 458 672 625 
			 No. 4 South Western 506 731 696 
			 No. 5 South Wales 371 449 448 
			 No. 6 West Midland 515 621 604 
			 No. 7 North Western 512 670 692 
			 No. 8 Northern 466 535 507 
			 No. 9 North Eastern 507 626 618 
			 No. 10 East Midland 478 614 599 
			 No. 11 Eastern 509 725 669 
			 No. 12 Chester and North Wales 381 497 483 
			 No. 15 Merseyside 283 409 410 
			 All areas 6,706 8,860 8,965

Legal Aid

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many law firms, have contracted for criminal legal aid work in each year since the Access to Justice Act 1999 came into force, broken down by region

Bridget Prentice: The number of law firms contracted for criminal legally aided work, by region, since the Legal Services Commission (LSC) began operating the General Criminal Contract in 2001 are set out in the table.
	The figures shown in the answer are figures taken directly from the LSC's scrutiny and payment of criminal claims (SPOCC) system and include firms who, although may not still have a contract with the LSC, are still billing for work that was carried out under their contract.
	
		
			  2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
			  Start End Start End Start End 
		
		
			 East Midlands 209 214 214 211 212 200 
			 Eastern 207 217 218 204 204 192 
			 London 471 488 488 532 533 504 
			 Merseyside 76 73 73 80 80 71 
			 North East 197 199 200 197 198 182 
			 North West 367 355 356 350 352 353 
			 South East 334 330 333 337 338 302 
			 South West 257 250 251 243 243 229 
			 Wales 265 250 250 255 256 244 
			 West Midlands 287 284 285 271 272 271 
			 Yorkshire Humberside 255 268 268 267 268 249 
			 Total 2,925 2,928 2,936 2,947 2,956 2,797 
		
	
	
		
			  2004–05 2005–06 
			  Start End Start Current 
		
		
			 East Midlands 201 192 193 198 
			 Eastern 193 181 181 183 
			 London 505 497 498 510 
			 Merseyside 72 65 65 65 
			 North East 182 162 162 166 
			 North West 354 331 333 324 
			 South East 303 306 308 303 
			 South West 230 200 201 199 
			 Wales 245 225 225 220 
			 West Midlands 271 265 266 268 
			 Yorkshire Humberside 249 237 237 237 
			 Total 2,805 2,661 2,669 2,673

Legal Aid

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many law firms bid for civil legal aid contracts in each of the bid rounds that have taken place since the Access to Justice Act 1999 came into force, broken down by region.

Bridget Prentice: In June 1999, bids were invited for contracts from solicitors firms and not-for-profit organisations to undertake civil legal aid work. Over 6,000 bids for contracts were received. At the start of the new scheme on 1 January 2000, there were 5,156 contracts signed. Approximately 90 per cent. of existing contracted solicitors re-bid for their contract during the bid round in 2003, with the other 10 per cent. being let to solicitors firms moving into new categories of law or who were new to legal aid, and not-for-profit agencies. The present contract began on 1 April 2004. At the start of the 2004–05 financial year 6,242 solicitors firms had been awarded contracts. The number of contracts continues to change between bid rounds, with firms joining as well as withdrawing.

Legal Aid

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2005, Official Report, column 1329W, on criminal cases, when she expects to announce the Government's vision for the future of legal aid.

Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor on 5 July 2005.

Legal Aid (Northern Ireland)

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much legal aid was paid to (a) solicitors, (b) junior counsel and (c) senior counsel in each year in Northern Ireland since 2000.

Bridget Prentice: The amount of criminal legal aid paid since the financial year 2000–01 is set out in the table:
	
		£ million
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Solicitors 11.7 13.3 12.8 14.2 16.6 
			 Senior Counsel 4.2 5 6.8 6.9 6.9 
			 Junior Counsel 6 6.3 7.3 8.2 9.1 
			 Total 21.9 24.6 26.9 29.3 32.6 
		
	
	The amount of civil legal aid paid since the financial year 2000–01 is set out as follows:
	
		£ million
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Solicitors 14.7 15.1 15.5 16.1 21.7 
			 All counsel(1) 1.9 2.5 3.3 4.8 4.7 
			 Total 16.6 17.6 18.8 20.9 26.4 
		
	
	(1)As fees to counsel in civil cases are paid as a disbursement to the instructing solicitor details of the amount paid to senior and junior counsel is not retained in an accessible form.

London Assembly/Scottish Parliament

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Government have to amend the electoral system for the (a) London Assembly and (b) Scottish Parliament to prevent party list candidates also running for constituency seats.

Harriet Harman: An internal review of the experiences of the new UK voting systems introduced for the devolved Administrations, the European Parliament and London Assembly elections is being conducted by officials within my Department. It is at an early stage, and any decisions regarding the next steps for the review will be taken in due course.
	With regards to the Scottish Parliament, the Secretary of State for Scotland, my right hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, South-West (Mr. Darling), set up the Commission on Boundary Differences and Voting Systems in July 2004 under the chairmanship of Professor Sir John Arbuthnott. The Commission has been asked to report by December 2005.

Postal Voting

John Greenway: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the arrangements for postal voting.

Harriet Harman: We will improve the security of the postal voting process and are currently consulting on proposals.

Postal Voting

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether the Department will accept applications for all-postal voting pilots from local authorities in (a) forthcoming by-elections and (b) the 2005 local elections.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 15 June 2005, Official Report, column 464W. This answer also applies to any pilot applications received from local authorities for by-elections.

Public Defender Service

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the cost efficiency of the public defender scheme.

Bridget Prentice: The Public Defender Service (PDS) has been undergoing continuous independent research and assessment since its inception. A full evaluation of the PDS pilot, including a full assessment of the cost efficiency of the scheme in comparison to private criminal defence practitioners, is due to be published in autumn 2005.

Public Defender Service

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on progress of the public defender pilots.

Bridget Prentice: The Public Defender Service (PDS) has been undergoing continuous independent assessment since its inception in 2001.
	An interim research report published in 2004 assessed the PDS as performing better than private criminal defence practitioners in terms of the overall level of service provided and results achieved at police stations. In addition, more than 97 per cent. of PDS clients surveyed were satisfied with the service they received and 98 per cent. were happy to recommend the PDS to a friend.
	A final evaluation of the PDS pilot is due to be published in autumn 2005.

Public Defender Service

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many defendants are being represented by public defenders in each area where pilots are taking place; and what plans she has to extend the scheme to other areas of the country.

Bridget Prentice: Data collection under the PDS does not specifically record the numbers of defendants helped, but rather the number of matter starts." Each matter start" refers to an act of help given by a PDS representative. The nature of the help can vary from advice and assistance at the police station to representation before the courts. On this basis, the number of matters started at each PDS office during 2004–05 is set out as follows:
	
		Matters started: 2004–05
		
			 PDS office Number 
		
		
			 Liverpool 719 
			 Middlesbrough 582 
			 Swansea 508 
			 Birmingham 427 
			 Cheltenham 1,052 
			 Pontypridd 421 
			 Chester 385 
			 Darlington 540 
			 Total 4,634 
		
	
	At present any further expansion of the scheme is subject to the final evaluation of the PDS pilot, due to be published in autumn 2005. These findings will determine the future of the Public Defender Service.

Work-related Stress

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many cases of work-related stress have been reported in her Department in each of the last three years; how much compensation was paid to employees in each year; how many work days were lost due to work-related stress in each year; at what cost; what procedures have been put in place to reduce work-related stress; at what cost; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Detailed sick absence statistics are derived from medical and self-certificates, which are completed by staff or their GPs. While certain illnesses, such as depression", anxiety", general debility" and even stress" may be indicated on certificates, it is not possible to determine levels of work-related stress". Consequently, we have no details on the number of working days lost due to work-related stress or the cost to the Department.
	Over the last year the Department has introduced a stress at work policy and a managers' toolkit to ensure that the policy is used effectively and at appropriate times. The Department has also introduced a stress helpline as part of its internal occupational welfare provision and enhanced its two existing courses for managers and individuals on managing stress in the workplace. All these new initiatives are based on best practice and on the Stress Management Standards issued by the Health and Safety Executive last year. It is not possible to estimate the costs associated with these activities since they were not accounted for separately. Similarly, we have no records of costs associated with compensation for work-related stress.

SCOTLAND

Aviation Policy

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the impact of the Government's aviation policy in Scotland.

Alistair Darling: We continue to work closely with the Scottish Executive on all aspects of policies from the Air Transport White Paper.

Post Offices

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues about the future of post offices in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: My right hon. Friend and I regularly meet with ministerial colleagues and discuss a range of issues.

Caledonian MacBrayne

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has held with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Scottish Executive on off-shoring tax arrangements for crew of Caledonian MacBrayne.

Alistair Darling: I regularly meet my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Scottish Executive Ministers to discuss a wide range of issues.

Devolution

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent devolution issues the Advocate-General has considered.

Alistair Darling: Since 7 June, the Advocate-General has had 55 devolution issues intimated to her. 43 of these were concerned with civil matters. Most of the civil cases concerned prison conditions. Of the 12 criminal matters raised, four concerned pre-trial delay. The Advocate-General has not considered it necessary or appropriate to intervene, at this stage, in any of the devolution issues intimated to her since 7 June.

Integrated Energy Policy

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive regarding the development of an integrated energy policy for Scotland.

David Cairns: Scotland Office Ministers and officials are in regular contact with the Scottish Executive on a wide range of energy-related matters.

Identity Cards

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Home Office and the Scottish Executive on the introduction of identity cards in Scotland.

Alistair Darling: I have regular discussions with my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and the First Minister on a number of issues.

Local Income Tax

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the implications for the rest of the UK of the introduction of a local income tax in Scotland.

David Cairns: Scotland Office Ministers have regular discussions on a range of issues with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

G8 Summit

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to ensure lasting beneficial effects for Scotland following the G8 summit.

Alistair Darling: The G8 Summit is a real opportunity for Scotland to showcase its many attractions to a world audience and demonstrate our expertise in hosting major events. I am also confident that, by the end of the UK's presidency of the G8, Scotland will have given a significant boost to the drives to make poverty history and to secure our environment for future generations.

G8 Summit

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his assessment is of the implications for Scotland of the G8 summit to be held in Gleneagles.

Alistair Darling: Hosting the G8 Summit is a real opportunity for Scotland to showcase its many attractions to a world audience and to demonstrate our expertise in hosting major events. I am also confident that, by the end of the UK's presidency of the G8, Scotland will have given a significant boost to the drives to make poverty history and to secure our environment for future generations.

Economic Performance

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss Scotland's economic performance.

Alistair Darling: I meet my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer regularly to discuss a range of issues. The Scottish economy continues to benefit from the economic stability delivered by this Government.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Antibiotics (Animals)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the use in animals of antibiotic substances also used in human medicine, with particular reference to (a) amoxicillin, (b) tetracycline and (c) clindamycin.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 4 July 2005
	In October 2003 VMD and the Department of Health prepared lists of all antimicrobial compounds authorised in the UK for use in humans and animals (species noted against each entry). The lists are available on the VMD website www.vmd.gov.uk.
	With specific reference to the antimicrobial ingredients amoxicillin, and clindamycin, and the antimicrobial class of tetracyclines, the following table details the animal species in which these antimicrobials are also authorised for use.
	
		
			 Antibiotic substances  
		
		
			 Amoxicillin Dogs, Cats, Pigeons, Poultry, Cattle, Pigs, Sheep, Fish. 
			 Tetracyclines Pigs, Poultry, Cattle, Sheep, Horses, Deer, Pigeons, Cage Birds, Cats, Dogs, Small Animals, Fish. 
			 Clindamycin Dogs, Cats. 
		
	
	The Government recognise that antimicrobials are essential medicines for ensuring the good health of both humans and animals. Controls are in place to safeguard the proper use of antimicrobials and to minimise the development of resistance that can make products less efficacious.
	Antimicrobial veterinary medicinal products may only be used under the direction of a veterinary surgeon on animals in his care and this ensures they are used only when necessary and that advice on use is available to theanimal owner to minimise the development of antimicrobial resistance.
	A Code of Practice on the Responsible Use of Animal Medicines on the Farm has been produced by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and is available at their website. There are also a number of guidelines available concerning the responsible use of antimicrobials in livestock that have been produced by the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA).

Carbon Emissions

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much carbon was emitted by (a) aircraft and (b) cars in the UK in the last period for which figures are available.

Elliot Morley: The answer is as follows:
	(a) Emissions from aircraft in the UK in 2003 are shown for (1) carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in million tonnes carbon dioxide per year (MtCO 2 /yr), and (2) the Kyoto basket of greenhouse gases (GHG) in million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent per year (MtCO 2 eq/yr). These figures are from the most recent official UK greenhouse gas inventory.
	(1)CO 2 :2.11 MtCO 2 /yr
	(2)GHG:2.14MtCO 2 eq/yr
	The data cover emissions from all civil domestic passenger and freight traffic movements inside the UK. Under guidelines agreed internationally, emissions from international aviation taking off and landing at UK airports are not included in UK total emissions, but are estimated for information purposes. Emissions of CO 2 and all greenhouse gases from international aviation in 2003 are estimated to have been 29.7 and 30.0 MtCO 2 eq/yr respectively.
	(b) Similarly, CO 2 and GHG emissions for cars in 2003 are:
	CO 2 :71.1 MtCO 2 /yr
	GHG: 75.4 MtCO 2 eq/yr
	For all road transport the figures are:
	CO 2 : 119.5MtCO 2 /yr
	GHG: 124.6MtCO 2 eq/yr

Cetaceans

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations the Government have made to the (a) EU Council and (b) EU member states for increased levels of protection for cetaceans; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Following pressure from the UK for community wide action Council Regulation 812/2004 establishing measures to address the incidental bycatch of small cetaceans was adopted by the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in March 2004. Earlier this year Iasked the European Commission to extend the UK prohibition on pair trawling within 12 miles of the south west coast to vessels from other member states with historic rights of access to the 6–12 mile zone. I sought support for these measures from the French Minister for fisheries. This request was subsequently rejected by the Commission.
	At the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in March 2004 I secured a commitment from the Commission to conduct a review this year of existing bycatch data to determine whether further action is needed. ICES (The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) has recently published its review of data at http://www.ices.dk, which will now be considered by the Commission.
	I will continue to promote and support measures to protect cetaceans.

Cetaceans

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research she has commissioned into marine noise pollution, with particular reference to the impact on cetaceans; and whether she plans to address this issue in forthcoming legislation.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK is a signatory to ASCOBANS (Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas). At the 4th Meeting of Parties in 2003, Resolution 4.5 invited Parties and Range States to conduct research into the effects on small cetaceans of acoustic disturbances.
	In October 2004, the Department let a contract to the Zoological Society of London to assess the feasibility of researching induced anthropogenic acoustic damage to cetaceans in British waters through the detailed examination of the auditory apparatus of stranded or by-caught animals.
	As well as furthering the objectives of ASCOBANS, the work will also form a valuable contribution towards the UK's cetacean biodiversity action plans which call for studies into the effects of underwater sounds on cetacean species.
	The Department also contributes to the Inter Agency Committee for Marine Science and Technology and a Crown Estate initiative which includes sound research and development in relation to piling noise for wind farms.
	The Department would need to assess the results of research before considering whether legislation is the best mechanism to deal with any potential problems of marine noise pollution with regard to cetacean life forms.

Cetaceans

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effects of marine noise pollution on (i) marine mammals and (ii) other marine life; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK is a signatory to ASCOBANS (Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas). At the 4th Meeting of Parties in 2003, Resolution 4.5 invited Parties and Range States to conduct research into the effects on small cetaceans of acoustic disturbances.
	In October 2004, the Department let a contract to the Zoological Society of London to assess the feasibility of researching induced anthropogenic acoustic damage to cetaceans in British waters through the detailed examination of the auditory apparatus of stranded or by-caught animals.
	As well as furthering the objectives of ASCOBANS, the work will also form a valuable contribution towards the UK's cetacean biodiversity action plans which call for studies into the effects of underwater sounds on cetacean species.
	The Department also contributes to the Inter Agency Committee for Marine Science and Technology and a Crown Estate initiative which includes sound research and development in relation to piling noise for wind farms.
	The Joint Nature Conservation Committee has produced guidelines for minimising acoustic disturbance to marine mammals for seismic surveys (available from www.jncc.gov.uk). It is a legal binding condition of the consent issued for seismic surveys under regulation 4 of the Petroleum Activities (Conservation of Habitats) Regulations 2001 by the Department of Trade and Industry that the JNCC guidelines must be followed at all times for all seismic surveys.

Cetaceans

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received on marine noise pollution in UK waters.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has recently received one representation on marine noise pollution in UK waters. The Department is involved in discussions on marine noise pollution at the international level through the agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS) and the Oslo Paris Convention (OSPAR).

Cetaceans

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she plans to take through the International Whaling Commission to seek greater protection for cetaceans.

Ben Bradshaw: We will continue to maintain our opposition to all forms of whaling other than some limited subsistence whaling. The UK strongly supports the IWC moratorium on commercial whaling and our major objective will be to resist any attempt to lift the moratorium.
	The UK will support the creation of regional whale sanctuaries and the continuation of existing ones. We will also continue to oppose so called scientific" whaling and seek to raise welfare issues at every suitable opportunity, highlighting the cruelty involved in whaling.

Computer Crime

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of computer (a) hacking, (b) fraud and (c) theft her Department recorded in each year since 2001–02; and for each year, on how many occasions computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers (i)within and (ii) outside her Department.

Jim Knight: The Department is not aware of any successful hacking or fraud involving its IT systems during the period. The Department deploys anti-hacking measures on its IT network including firewalls, application firewalls, hardening of servers, intrusion detection systems and IT security health checks.
	The following numbers of computer thefts are recorded for the period:
	
		Computer thefts
		
			  Number of items stolen 
		
		
			 2001–02 13 
			 2002–03 23 
			 2003–04 2 
			 2004–05 3

Dormice

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to protect and enhance (a) the habitats and (b) the number of the dormouse population in England; and what estimate she has made of the dormouse population in England in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The dormouse is a priority species with an individual Species Action Plan that is led jointly by English Nature and The Wildlife Trusts. It has also been the subject of an English Nature Species Recovery Programme since 1991. The main reasons for the decline of the dormouse appear to be the fragmentation of our woodlands coupled with inappropriate woodland management. The dormouse recovery programme has sought to address these issues. Guidance on woodland management to favour dormice was published in 1996 and has been followed by a series of training courses for woodland managers. Awareness of the needs of the dormouse is now very high. In addition, the Forestry Commission has a large programme to restore planted ancient woodland sites, which will favour the dormouse. An innovative research programme, carried out at Royal Holloway, University of London, showed the importance of hedgerows for dormice and guidance on hedgerow management was published by English Nature in 2002. 'Dormouse friendly' hedgerows are now an option in the Government's new Environmental Scheme. A greatly-expanded conservation handbook on dormice will be published later this year.
	As well as efforts to improve the countryside for dormice, the species has been reintroduced into some parts of England from which it was lost. A partnership between English Nature and the People's Trust for Endangered Species, with veterinary support from the Institute of Zoology, has now carried out 14 reintroductions to 11 counties, using dormice supplied by the Common Dormouse Captive Breeders Group. Follow-up surveys have confirmed the success of this approach, with the first reintroduction now more than 10-years-old. The most recent reintroduction was to the Chatsworth Estate, Derbyshire in June this year.
	Estimating the number of dormice is difficult as the species is very under-recorded. The first Great Nut Hunt in 1993 greatly increased the number of known sites for the species and a national inventory of more than 1,300 sites is now available through the National Biodiversity Network. More than 200 of these sites now contribute to the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme by counting the number of dormice in nest-boxes every summer. These data, summarised in the report of the Tracking Mammals Project, have shown that, nationally, the dormouse population has declined by 23 per cent. since 1993, though it has been relatively stable in recent years. However, there are indications that the species remains vulnerable at the edge of its range, particularly in the marginal uplands, so there is an on-going need for conservation work. A recent estimate of the national population suggested that there are in the region of 45,000 dormice in Britain.

Emissions Trading Scheme

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the treatment of funds collected under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 30 June 2005
	The EU Emissions Trading Scheme works at an installation rather than state-level, and therefore any potential profits or losses from the Scheme are accrued by the individual operator.
	The two categories of payments from individual operators under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme are regulator fees and civil penalties. Fees are imposed by the regulator to cover the costs incurred in administering the scheme. The regulator also administers the collection of civil penalties, levied when regulations have been broken. Regulation 41 of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Regulations 2005 requires the regulator to collect any civil penalties, and then to pass them to the appropriate authority", before entering the Treasury's Consolidated Fund. The appropriate authority is the Secretary of State for installations in England and offshore installations, the Scottish Ministers for installations in Scotland, the Welsh Assembly for installations in Wales, and the Department of Environment for Northern Ireland.
	Operators can avoid paying civil penalties by purchasing (and surrendering) additional allowances from other operators, in line with their obligations under the Scheme.

Emissions Trading Scheme

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will assess the merits of including aircraft emissions in the European Emissions Trading Scheme.

Elliot Morley: Aviation accounted for approximately 3 per cent. of the EU's carbon dioxide emissions in 2001. While this is a relatively modest share, this represents an increase of 68 per cent. from 1990 levels. Furthermore, in their 1999 Special Report on Aviation and the Global Atmosphere, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimated that the total climate change effect from aviation is approximately two to four times larger than the effect of its CO 2 emissions alone. The EU has recognised the need to tackle this growing area of emissions in the absence of other international action.
	The use of emissions trading allows the coverage of environmental costs through a mixture of emissions reductions within the sector and purchase of reductions that can be produced more cheaply by other sectors. The advantage of emissions trading is that, through the use of a defined emissions cap, it guarantees a desired environmental outcome in a way that other instruments, such as charges, do not. Furthermore, it ensures that the emissions reductions required to achieve a particular environmental outcome take place in as cost-effective a manner as possible.
	For an international industry, an international trading regime is the best solution. The Government have made taking forward the work programme for the inclusion of aviation emissions into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme a priority for the UK presidency of the EU. While there are further instruments that may be appropriate, our focus is on emissions trading as the most cost effective way of delivering our environmental objective.

Fish Merchants

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under what legislation the proposed buyers' licences for fish merchants were introduced; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 4 July 2005
	In England the registration of buyers and sellers of first sale fish was introduced by The Registration of Fish Buyers and Sellers and Designation of Fish Auction Sites Regulations 2005 (SI 2005 No. 1605). Similar legislation has been or will be introduced by the devolved administrations and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Northern Ireland.

Flooding (North Yorkshire)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will relax the three day notice period on movements given in North Yorkshire following the flooding.

Elliot Morley: It is a requirement under the Disease Control (England) Order 2003 that livestock movements are reported within three days of the movement taking place.
	We have not been asked to relax this reporting period due to flooding in North Yorkshire, but we would treat any requests we receive to do so sympathetically, where the farmer concerned is suffering hardship.

Flooding (North Yorkshire)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will provide funds to assist the clear-up of the countryside and carriageways following the floods in North Yorkshire.

Elliot Morley: The Bellwin Scheme, administered by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, is the means by which financial assistance can be made available to local authorities following an emergency. Funding from DEFRA is not available for this purpose.

Foot and Mouth

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list occasions referred to in Commission Decision 2005/436/EC, OJL151 of 14 June, where EU states were supported by the EU in emergency foot and mouth vaccination campaigns; what the cost was; what funding procedures were used; whether such procedures remain in place; what happened to stock following vaccination; and whether this facility was available to the UK during 2001.

Ben Bradshaw: Decision 2005/436/EC concerns the operation and European Community contributions to a Trust Fund established by the European Commission for the Control of Foot and Mouth Disease (EUFMD) aimed at emergency measures to be carried out in the Balkans, the main route of entry of FMD into Europe. EUFMD was founded under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. It has over 30 member countries some of which are member states of the European Community; some are not.
	The Trust Fund has been used to support foot and mouth disease emergency vaccination campaigns in Turkey and in Transcaucasia thereby protecting areas at risk within the European Community. No member state of the European Community has received funds from the Trust Fund to support foot and mouth disease emergency vaccination campaigns and this facility was not available to the UK in 2001.

Forestry

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much central government financial support has been made available for private sector forestry in the East midlands region in the last 10 years; and whether her Department plans to change the allocation.

Jim Knight: With the introduction of the Forestry Commission's English Woodland Grant Scheme later this month we will, for the first time, be allocating forestry grant funding on a regional basis. Grants under the previous Woodland Grant Scheme were funded on a national basis. The following table gives details of payments in the East midlands for each year for the last 10 years.
	
		Forestry commission grant scheme payments
		
			 Financial year £000 
		
		
			 2003–04 1,955 
			 2002–03 1,774 
			 2001–02 1,699 
			 2000–01 2,018 
			 1999–2000 1,957 
			 1998–99 1,642 
			 1997–98 2,164 
			 1996–97 (2)1,933 
			 1995–96 (2)1,079 
			 1994–95 (2)1,143 
		
	
	(2)This figure includes estimated payments of £133,000 that were made against old grant schemes and which are not recorded on the current financial management systems.
	The allocation of funds for the current financial year is £2.0 million. This is for payments due under grant schemes agreed in previous years and for new applications that will be approved this year. Future years funding will depend on national and regional priorities.
	In addition much of the National Forest lies within the east midlands region. Payments under their tender scheme, which is principally funded by DEFRA, are given in the following table. This excludes the woodland grant scheme element of the scheme, which is included in the above table.
	
		National forest company tender scheme payments
		
			 Financial year £000 
		
		
			 2004–05 1,660 
			 2003–04 1,926 
			 2002–03 1,930 
			 2001–02 1,899 
			 2000–01 1,693 
			 1999–2000 1,583 
			 1998–99 1,158 
			 1997–98 1,205 
			 1996–97 795 
			 1995–96 453 
		
	
	There are no plans to change the funding allocated to the National Forest in the current spending review period.

Forestry

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will increase the level of maintenance grant available for tree planting schemes.

Jim Knight: The woodland creation element of the Forestry Commission's new English Woodland Grant Scheme, which will open for applications later this month, has payment rates that are broadly comparable to those available under the previous Woodland Grant Scheme.
	The woodland creation grant provides a contribution to both the cost of woodland establishment and for maintenance in the 10 years following planting. There are no plans to change the rate of grant. However, changes may need to be made to the rate payable from 2007 onwards in order to reflect any requirements of the new Rural Development Regulation.

GM Crops (EU Environment Council)

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the full text of contributions made by UK representatives in the EU Council of Ministers discussion on 24 June on genetically modified crops and food.

Elliot Morley: At the Environment Council the Presidency asked member states to intervene only if their voting position on the GM proposals had changed. The UK had not changed its voting position (either on the question of whether to approve the GMO MON 863, or on the dossiers relating to other member states' safeguard actions) so no intervention was necessary.

International Whaling Commission

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list countries eligible to vote at the International Whaling Conference in South Korea.

Ben Bradshaw: Nine new members joined at this year's International Whaling Commission meeting, held in Ulsan, South Korea in June, bringing the total number of members to 66. However, Belize, Costa Rica, Kenya and Peru lack voting rights. Thus of the 66 member nations, only 62 contracting member governments were eligible to vote at the meeting.
	These countries were Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, People's Republic of China, Cote d'Ivoire, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Grenada, Guinea, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Republic of Palau, Panama, Portugal, Russian Federation, San Marino, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Senegal, Slovak Republic, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Surinam, Sweden, Switzerland, Togo, Tuvalu, UK, and the USA.

International Whaling Commission

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the latest meeting of the International Whaling Commission; and what the Government's position is on the hunting of whales.

Ben Bradshaw: The latest meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) was a successful meeting for the UK. All key UK objectives were achieved, most notably: retention of the moratorium on commercial whaling and the Southern Ocean Sanctuary; rejection of secret ballots; adoption of a Resolution, criticising Japan's plans to significantly increase its scientific whaling programme; and agreement by consensus to hold a Workshop on Whale Killing Methods and Associated Issues.
	The UK is opposed to whaling and strongly supports the current IWC moratorium on commercial whaling. We do not believe there is any justification for whaling apart from some limited subsistence whaling by indigenous people. We believe that whaling does not serve any genuine need and involves unacceptable cruelty.

Nuclear Waste

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 22 June 2005, to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker), Official Report, column 1040W, what proportion of the waste relates to the Ministry of Defence.

Elliot Morley: The proportion of the wastes which relate to the Ministry of Defence is between 2 and 3 per cent. The figures are deduced from the 2001 UK Radioactive Waste Inventory. The 2004 inventory should be published this autumn.

Parish Councils

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the grant scheme available for parish councils to conduct consultation about parish plans extends to village residents associations in areas where there is no parish council.

Jim Knight: It is possible for parish plan grants funded by DEFRA to support the development of community plans in parts of the country where there is no parish council. Responsibility for administering the grant scheme now rests with individual Rural Community Councils.

Pet Markets

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if she will make it her policy to ban exotic pet markets;
	(2)  how many illegal pet markets have been discovered in England in each of the last five years; and what action was taken in each case.

Ben Bradshaw: The scope of the prohibition on pet markets and similar events in public places under the Pet Animals Act 1951 (as amended 1983) is in need of clarification. The Animal Welfare Bill will provide an opportunity to supply this clarification. We are currently in contact with parties with an interest in the sale of animals at pet markets. Once we have had an opportunity to consider the responses to this first consultation, it is our intention to prepare proposals which will be subject to a wider public consultation, before any legislation is introduced.
	It is for local authorities to enforce the Pet Animals Act 1951, including the licensing of pet markets. Data on enforcement action taken under this Act are not collated by my Department.

Rats

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the level of rat infestation of sewers in each London borough.

Elliot Morley: My Department does not undertake assessments of the level of rat infestation of sewers.

Rights of Way

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the (a) targets and (b) funding mechanism for the maintenance and enhancement of rights of way networks in rural areas.

Jim Knight: The Government set a target in their Rural White Paper, published in 2000, of a 10 per cent. improvement in defining, maintaining and publicising the rights of way network by 2005. The Countryside Agency is currently carrying out research to evaluate whether this target has been met. Local highway authorities receive their rights of way funding through the unhypothecated Environment Protection and Cultural Services block in the Revenue Support Grant. The method of funding was agreed with the Local Government Association and all four leaders of the political groups on the Association.

Rural Housing Commission

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what budget has been allocated to the proposed Rural Housing Commission; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Work to set up an Affordable Rural Affordable Housing Commission is under way and I hope to be able to make an announcement shortly. That work will include the Commission's terms of reference. The budget will be found from within existing departmental resources.

Smog

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many smog warnings have been issued in London in each year since 1979.

Ben Bradshaw: Forecasts of high air pollution are issued when Defra estimates that concentrations of specific air pollutants are likely to exceed guideline values. The table shows the number of forecasts of high air pollution in London published by Defra from 1992 (the first year that forecasts were available) to the present time.
	Defra warns of high air pollution through the Air Quality Information Archive at www.airquality.co.uk, Teletext, page 169 and the freephone service 0800 556677. On occasions when a notable air pollution episode is forecast, such as the first photochemical smog in any year, Defra may supplement these forecasts with a news release.
	
		Number of forecasts of high air pollution in London published by Defra(3)
		
			  Number of forecasts of high air pollution 
		
		
			 1992 90 
			 1993(4) 94 
			 1994 94 
			 1995 118 
			 1996 139 
			 1997(5) 12 
			 1998 15 
			 1999(4) 8 
			 2000 8 
			 2001 13 
			 2002 3 
			 2003 13 
			 2004 4 
			 2005(6) 2 
		
	
	(3)Number of days when a forecast for high air pollution was published for one or more of the pollutants included in the air quality banding and index system. Details of the air pollution banding and index system are available at http://www.airquality.co.uk/archive/standards.php#band
	(4)There are no numbers available for the individual years 1993 and 1994. The numbers presented are the average for 1993 and 1994. The same applies to 1999 and 2000.
	(5)The guideline values for some air pollutants were changed in 1997 following advice from the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) and a public consultation. A statement from COMEAP is available at http://www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/comeap/statementsreports/airpol9.htm. Before 1997 the air quality guidelines for poor" air quality were: nitrogen dioxide, 191 microgrammes per metre cubed as an hourly average; sulphur dioxide, 333 microgrammes per metre cubed as an hourly average; and ozone, 180 microgrammes per metre cubed as an hourly average. From 1997 onwards, the thresholds for the definition of high pollution were defined as: nitrogen dioxide, 573 microgrammes per metre cubed as an hourly average; sulphur dioxide, 532 microgrammes per metre cubed as a 15 minute average; ozone was unchanged. In 1997 guideline values for particulate matter (PMio) and carbon monoxide were added. These are: PM 1 0 , 97 microgrammes per metre cubed, gravimetric equivalent; carbon monoxide, 17.4 microgrammes per metre cubed.
	(6)High forecasts up to 30 June 2005.

Taxis

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Department has spent on taxis in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold information on travel by taxi centrally and this could be provided only at disproportionate cost

Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress the Government have made in meeting the targets of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000.

Elliot Morley: A detailed update on progress against the targets outlined in the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy will be available in the third annual Fuel Poverty Strategy Progress Report, expected to be published later this month.

Work-related Stress

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of work-related stress have been reported in her Department in each of the last three years; how much compensation was paid to employees in each year; how many work days were lost due to work-related stress in each year; at what cost; what procedures have been put in place to reduce work-related stress; at what cost; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: DEFRA's current sickness absence system does not differentiate between stress and work-related stress. So the number of reported cases of work-related stress and work days lost as a result cannot be calculated.
	There are no records of compensation being paid out for work-related stress.
	The Department has set a target to reduce the number of working days lost from work-related injury and ill-health by 30 per cent. by 2010. This mirrors the revitalising health and safety strategy target.
	DEFRA was established in June 2001. Since then the management board has established a sub-committee on stress which recommended a number of actions. The Department has a stress policy and stress strategy and was one of the first organisations to pilot the Health and Safety Executive's Management Standards for Stress. The Department has several initiatives to help address stress such as assistance to aid managers when undertaking stress risk assessments. It regularly runs stress workshops and roadshows aimed at raising awareness in staff and managers.
	It is not possible to quantify the cost of this strategy without detailed analysis of all work groups which is not practicable.

DEFENCE

American Missile Defence System

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions have taken place with the US administration concerning the use of RAF Menwith Hill in connection with the American Missile Defence System.

Adam Ingram: There has been no request from the United States to use facilities at RAF Menwith Hill for missile defence purposes. The position remains as set out in my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's response of 26 April 2004, Official Report, column 727W, to the hon. Member.

Army Reviewing Authority

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will list all cases heard by the Army Reviewing Authority in the last five years in respect of which no legal proceedings are ongoing; what the original sentence imposed was in each case; who the original sentencing authority was; what sentence was determined by the reviewing authority; whether the sentence was subsequently altered further; and where the reviewing authority's decisions are publicly presented;
	(2)  who is eligible to sit on the Army Reviewing Authority; what the arrangements are for (a) the Crown prosecution and (b) the defence at a review authority hearing; whether each has been present in all cases heard in the last five years; what the arrangements are for the (i) Royal Navy and (ii) Royal Air Force; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  under what statutory authority an Army Reviewing Authority can overrule a decision or sentence made by a (a) civil and (b) criminal court;
	(4)  whether a senior army officer in charge of an Army Reviewing Authority is required to attend for the full duration of the hearing.

Don Touhig: The Army Reviewing Authority has no authority over civil cases or cases heard in civilian courts. The Armed Forces Act 1996, under a revised Section 113 of the Army Act 1955, established the Army Reviewing Authority to deal with courts-martial proceedings and petitions.
	The Army Act defines the reviewing authority as the Defence Council or any Officer to whom all or any powers of the Defence Council as reviewing authority may be delegated. In practice the Army Board of the Defence Council has delegated its powers of review to the following personnel—the Deputy Adjutant General, the Director Personal Services (Army) or any Colonel under the direct command of the Director Personal Services (Army).
	When a case is reviewed by the Army Reviewing Authority there is no actual hearing, therefore it is not possible for anyone to attend. This system of review is similar for all three services and the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force also have reviewing authorities.
	All Army courts-martial proceedings are reviewed whether or not a petition by the accused or his/her legal representative has been presented. Legal advice is always provided by a judge from the office of the Judge Advocate General.
	The reviewing authority may quash or substitute the finding or the sentence passed by the court-martial. When a reviewing authority substitutes a sentence it must be a sentence which could have been awarded by the court-martial and it must not be more severe than the original sentence. The accused and their representative are informed of the result of a review by the reviewing authority but the result is not otherwise publicly presented.
	It will be proposed in the Armed Forces Bill, which is due to be introduced later this year, that the process of review is discontinued in all three services. The safeguards for service personnel can be provided in a modern system by full rights of appeal against both finding and sentence to the court martial appeal court, and by bail pending appeal.
	The detail requested about cases reviewed in the last five years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However the following information gives an overview of activity by the Army Reviewing Authority (ARA).
	
		Army reviewing authority
		
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Number of individuals tried by court-martial 455 630 505 470 521 
			 Number found guilty 373 485 440 400 464 
			 Number acquitted 82 145 65 70 57 
			 Number of petitions presented to ARA 107 118 115 87 95 
			 Number mitigated by ARA 22 28 18 15 23 
			 Number mitigated on review by ARA without a petition 8 8 1 8 9

Bowman Communications Equipment

Dai Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the performance of the Bowman communications equipment in theatre operations; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: An initial Bowman operational capability has been achieved and it is having a direct and positive effect on the communications capability with UK Forces on Operation Telic 6 in Iraq.
	The deployment of 12 Mechanised Brigade to Iraq in April 2005, with a core Bowman capability alongside some existing Clansman capability, marked a critical milestone in the incremental Bowman programme as this was the first operational use of the system. Overall, the feedback has been positive. In particular, the voice quality and coverage achieved over differing environments have vastly improved. It is being used in a range of modes, providing both secure and insecure communications, and interoperability with non-Bowman units.
	The personal role radio with a 500m effective range, has significantly enhanced low level command and control wherever deployed, including on operations in Iraq. 50,000 radios have been issued to date.
	Bowman is not a direct replacement for Clansman and there are still issues to be resolved. Problems encountered in fitting Bowman to complex warfighting platforms such as Challenger 2, Warrior and turreted armoured vehicles have introduced delays. The Ministry of Defence is working closely with the Bowman Prime Contractor and Design Authorities to resolve these issues. To date, over 2,600 vehicles have been converted.

Correspondence

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will write to the hon. Member for Blaby with a full list of ships and equipment involved in the STOROB process of reused ships' fitted equipment or parts thereof and place a copy of that letter in the Library, as he undertook to do in the answer of 17 March 2005, Official Report, column 414W, in the last session of Parliament.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 28 June 2005
	I have written to the hon. Member, and a copy of my letter has been placed in the Library of the House.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  on how many occasions in the last 12months the Defence Export Services Organisation has provided information to UK companies about agents; if he will list the companies to which this information was given; and in which countries the agents were based;
	(2)  on how many occasions between April 2004 and December 2004 officials from the Defence Export Services Organisation met BAE Systems to discuss agents in relation to Export Credits Guarantee Department disclosure requirements;
	(3)  whether the Defence Export Services Organisation has provided information to BAE Systems on the selection of agents since April 2004.

Adam Ingram: If the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) has information likely to assist UK companies including BAES, in selecting agents suitable to act for them overseas, our policy is to make this available. Provision of such advice is part of normal DESO business. DESO has staff in many countries overseas, and instances of such advice are not centrally recorded.

Detainees (Treatment)

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 6 June 2005, Official Report, column 244W, on detainees (treatment), whether (a) detainees, (b) security internees and (c) enemy prisoners of war transferred by British forces to the United States military have been subject to the unlawful use of sensory deprivation techniques during interrogation.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 13 June 2005
	I have received no reports to indicate that any persons taken into custody by UK forces in Iraq, and subsequently transferred to US custody, have been subject to the unlawful use of sensory deprivation techniques during interrogation.

Diego Garcia (Terrorist Suspects)

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the status of terrorist suspects held on military bases in Diego Garcia.

Adam Ingram: Terrorist suspects are not being held on Diego Garcia.

Discharged Service Personnel

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether personnel who have been discharged under Queen's Regulations 9.413 and 9.414 are eligible for the Veteran's Badge.

Don Touhig: Service personnel discharged under Queen's Regulations for the Army 1975 section 9.413 will be eligible to receive a HM Armed Forces Veteran's Badge if they have completed at least five years reckonable service. Those who leave under the terms of section 9.414 will not be eligible for a badge.

Fleet Construction Plans

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) the categories and (b) the numbers in each category of vessels to be constructed by (i) 2012 and (ii) 2015 in support of the future carrier fleet.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 23 June 2005
	The future aircraft carriers (CVF) will be supported by a range of in-service and planned Royal Navy warships and Royal Fleet auxiliary vessels, including the Type 45 destroyers and the military afloat research and sustainability vessels. There are no plans to construct new vessels specifically to support the future carrier fleet by 2015.

Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next expects to visit Gibraltar.

Adam Ingram: The Secretary of State for Defence has no plans to visit Gibraltar in the near future.

Independent Nuclear Deterrent

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 20 June 2005, Official Report, column 666W, whether the Labour Party's 2005 manifesto commitment to retain the United Kingdom's independent deterrent refers to (a) the principle of continuing to possess a deterrent for the foreseeable future and (b) the retention of the current Trident fleet until the end of its life.

John Reid: holding answer 29 June 2005
	The Government made clear in the December 2003 Defence White Paper (Cm 6041–1) that, because of the continuing risk of the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the certainty that a number of other countries will retain substantial nuclear arsenals, our minimum deterrent is likely to remain a necessary element of our security. We have also made clear that we intend to maintain the effectiveness of the Trident system.

Iraq

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the time frame is for withdrawing UK troops from Iraq.

Adam Ingram: The UK is committed to remaining in Iraq for as long as the Iraqi Government judge that the coalition is required to provide security and assist the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF). The prevailing security situation, progress on the political process and development of the ISF will be among the factors in determining eventual UK force level reductions.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2005, Official Report, columns 1204–05W, on Iraq, whether the British Deputy Senior Judge Advocate in Iraq had been informed of potential abuses and misconduct in violation of the Geneva conventions at Abu Ghraib prior to the announcement of the United States criminal investigation in January 2004.

Adam Ingram: The British Officer was not aware of the specific allegations of abuse that subsequently led to the investigation and courts-martial of US personnel prior to the announcement of the US investigation in January 2004.

Iraq

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 23 June 2005, Official Report, column 44WS, on call-out of reservists for Iraq, how many of the 600 reservists to be called up to serve in Iraq have been previously mobilised for service in (a) Iraq and (b) other overseas postings since May 2002.

Don Touhig: We are currently in the process of identifying and calling-out those individuals we wish to select for mobilisation to support ongoing operations in Iraq, pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 23 June 2005, Official Report, column 44WS. Given that this process is not complete, it is not possible at this stage to identify how many have served previously in Iraq or other overseas locations.

Joint Combat Aircraft

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answers of 23 June 2005, Official Report, columns 1141–42W, on aircraft carriers, what the reasons are for the different in-service dates for the Joint Combat Aircraft to which he refers; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The in-service date (ISD) is when the capability provided by the system is assessed as available for use. While ISDs for projects are not set until the main investment decision, our internal planning assumptions are based on an ISD of 2014 for the Joint Combat Aircraft. However, we expect to start taking delivery of the aircraft in 2011, and to be conducting flight trials in advance of the ISD.

Lynx Helicopter

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the original (a) projected cost and (b) in-service date for the replacement for the Lynx Mk 3/8 helicopter were; and what the current estimates are.

Adam Ingram: Prior to the inception of the Future Rotorcraft Capability (FRC) programme in July 2004, the Lynx Mk 3/8 replacement was in its assessment phase, so there were no approved costs or in-service dates. The replacement for Lynx Mk 3/8 has now been subsumed into the FRC programme. The parameters of the FRC programme are still under consideration, but we hope to make announcements later this year.

Procurement Projects

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what completed procurement projects since 1997 have had an approved cost at main gate or equivalent approval exceeding £250 million; and in each case what the (a) approved cost, (b) actual final cost, (c) approved in-service date at main gate or equivalent approval and (d) actual in-service date were.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Territorial Army

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on Territorial Army recruiting; and how many new Territorial Army soldiers were recruited in each year since 1997.

Don Touhig: The following table details the expenditure for Territorial Army (TA) recruiting and the number of TA recruits for each financial year since 2001; expenditure figures are not available prior to this date.
	
		
			  Financial year Expenditure  (approx £ million)  TA recruits 
		
		
			 1997–98 n/a 10,400 
			 1998–99 n/a 8,500 
			 1999–2000 n/a 6,700 
			 2000–01 n/a 7,500 
			 2001–02 5 7,700 
			 2002–03 5.5 7,300 
			 2003–04 5 7,600 
			 2004–05 10.5 6,900

Typhoon

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Typhoon aircraft have been used in theatre operations.

Adam Ingram: To date the Typhoon has not been deployed to any operational theatres.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department is evaluating the benefits to the UK of producing in the UK unmanned aerial vehicles with (a) offensive, (b) defensive and (c) observational capabilities.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence is pursuing a twin-track strategy to explore the conceptual thinking and underlying technology for unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs). The former involves participation in the US Joint Unmanned Combat Air System Programme concept work. The latter is focused on ensuring the UK is able to make intelligent choices with respect to UCAV design, technology development and manufacture, and is intended to enhance the UK's industrial position to undertake either an indigenous or collaborative programme should a firm military requirement for UCAVs emerge in the future. Under our Defence Industrial Policy we routinely consider the benefits of producing new defence equipment in the UK when taking procurement decisions.
	In addition, we are considering a proposal from Thales UK as preferred bidder for a tactical unmanned air vehicles (UAV) system manufactured in the UK to meet the Watchkeeper requirement for an intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capability. We will make an announcement on this as soon as possible.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Asian Tsunami

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the aid pledged by the Government to provide relief to countries that were affected by the Asian tsunami has so far been paid.

Gareth Thomas: Nearly £67 million out of the £75 million allocated to meet immediate relief needs has been programmed through United Nations agencies, the Red Cross movement and non-governmental organisations and DFID direct action. So far £60 million of this has been disbursed. A further detailed breakdown of this spending can be obtained in the document entitled A breakdown of DFID's immediate relief response to the Indian ocean earthquake and tsunami" which has been placed in the libraries of the House. The balance of the £67 million will be drawn down by the recipient agencies as needed. The remaining monies out of the £75 million have been earmarked for disaster risk reduction initiatives in affected countries.
	DFID has also allocated £65 million to meet reconstruction needs. From this allocation, £36 million has been committed to Indonesia, of which £6 million has so far been paid out to the Multi Donor Trust Fund. A further £2 million has been committed to Sri Lanka and £3 million to India to provide technical assistance aimed at ensuring effective, transparent and equitable programming of tsunami reconstruction efforts. The remaining £24 million of the £65 million allocation for reconstruction has not yet been programmed.

Asian Tsunami

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of possible cases of misuse of tsunami relief funds in Malaysia; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has not provided any direct assistance to Malaysia after the Asian tsunamis. The Government's support has focused on the worst affected and poorest countries in the region. Therefore, we have not been involved in investigating allegations of misuse of relief funds in Malaysia nor had any requests to do so. We urge accountability and transparency of all funding provided to the relief and reconstruction effort.

Everything But Arms Agreement

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Everything But Arms agreement in facilitating fairer trading conditions with developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: I refer the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness to the response given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn), to my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz) on 30 June 2005, Official Report, columns 1678–79W.

Haiti

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans the EU has for development assistance to Haiti.

Gareth Thomas: The European Commission (EC) is one of the leading donors supporting Haiti's Interim Co-operation Framework (ICF), which sets out a comprehensive two-year plan for Haiti's development from September 2004 to 2006. The EC pledged a total of €294 million to the ICF, comprising primarily the remaining funds available to Haiti under the 8th European Development Fund (EOF) and Haiti's allocation under the 9th European Development Fund (EOF) (€167 million).
	The Commission is utilising the remaining funds under the 8th EOF and €95.6 million from the 9th EOF to support programmes that directly benefit the Haitian people, strengthen civil society and the private sector, and support democratisation, the rule of law and the electoral process; and other short and medium term priorities identified through the ICF.
	Discussions are underway between the Commission and the Haitian Interim Government to prepare an indicative programme for the balance of funds (€72 million) allocated to Haiti under the 9th EOF. The indicative programme will be signed and implemented once national elections deemed free and fair are held. National elections are scheduled for later this year.
	The EC has taken measures to improve the disbursement rate of this substantial funding by reinforcing the Commission staff in Haiti and simplifying the procedures for implementing projects.

Haiti

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government have taken to support poverty eradication in Haiti.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government are currently supporting poverty eradication in Haiti through our contributions to, and engagement with, the international community working in Haiti, and through our support to civil society organisations operating in Haiti.
	The Interim Cooperation Framework (ICF) in Haiti sets out a comprehensive plan for poverty eradication and stabilisation in Haiti. The UK Government are supporting the implementation of this plan through our contributions to the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the European Commission (EC). The UK share of the pledges these institutions have made to the ICF is approximately £35 million.
	The UK is also currently engaged in the negotiation of the 6thReplenishment of the Caribbean Development Bank's (CDB)s concessional fund, the Special Development Fund (SDF). A major issue for this replenishment is Haiti's imminent accession to membership of the CDB, and the terms under which Haiti will access resources from the SDF.
	Through its engagement with the international donor community, the UK Government have also been advocating for better donor co-ordination, reduction of implementation bottlenecks and greater poverty focus, in order to ensure positive impacts on the ground for poor Haitians. In light of the links between security and poverty eradication, the UK Government are also supporting the international efforts to improve the security situation and to follow up security operations with social, economic and humanitarian programmes. For example, the UK contributes 7.4 per cent. of the budget of the UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), likely to be £20 million in 2005–06. In 2004, DFID also provided some £4 million in humanitarian assistance to Haiti in response to the political unrest, the May floods, and Tropical Storm Jeanne. This too was channelled through international NGOs, the Red Cross Movement, United Nations humanitarian agencies, and our share of European Community humanitarian assistance.
	The UK Government also supports NGOs in their poverty eradication efforts in Haiti. Currently, five of the British NGOs supported through DFID's Partnerships Programme Agreements for Latin America and the Caribbean include Haiti in their existing or planned country coverage. DFID has allocated a total of £6.2 million to these NGOs in 2005–06 (CARE—£1.5 million, OXFAM—£1.5 million, Christian Aid—£1.1 million, CAFOD—£1.1 million and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance—£1 million). The FCO also supports small-scale poverty-focused civil society projects in Haiti through its Small Grants Scheme. The 2005–06 allocation for this scheme is £100,000.

Health Professionals (Migration)

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact on the health systems of developing countries of health care professionals migrating to the United Kingdom.

Gareth Thomas: Health care professionals are clearly a crucial element of any health system and the UK Government are concerned about the severe shortages of health workers in some developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Migration of health workers to the UK and elsewhere can contribute to these shortages, which is why the UK has a Code of Practice for International Recruitment of Healthcare Professionals available at http://www.dh.gov.uk. The Code of Practice prevents the NHS from actively recruiting health care professionals from low and middle-income countries unless there is a Government-to-Government agreement in place.
	International migration is, however, just one of the factors contributing to the shortages of health workers in many developing countries. Other factors include lack of training capacity, workers leaving the health sector due to poor pay and working conditions, difficulties in deploying staff to rural areas, and the effects of HIV and AIDS.
	DFID believes that addressing these shortages requires the development and implementation of comprehensive country-led plans, which increase the numbers of health workers trained, but also include measures to improve pay and incentives, working conditions, distribution, effective planning and management, and improving the performance of existing workers. An example of where DFID is supporting such a plan is Malawi where we are working with the Government to implement an emergency human resource programme, which aims to almost double the number of health workers in Malawi over the next six years.

Africa (HIV/AIDS/Tuberculosis)

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what research his Department has evaluated on the effects of male circumcision on infection rates of HIV/AIDS in Africa; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: A number of studies are providing increasing evidence to suggest male circumcision is a major variable explaining HIV infection patterns in sub-Saharan Africa. Research currently under way should provide conclusive evidence as to whether this would be an effective public health intervention for HIV prevention.

Africa (HIV/AIDS/Tuberculosis)

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the UN Global Development Fund has been allocated to the treatment of (a) HIV/AIDS, (b) tuberculosis and (c) malaria in Malawi in each of the last two years.

Gareth Thomas: The total approved Global Fund Commitment to Malawi is $196,000,000. To date the disbursements are as follows:
	HIV and AIDS
	Grant start date: 1 June 2003
	Approved funding: $41,751,500
	Total funds disbursed: $36,253,844
	Malaria
	Grant agreement not yet signed
	Approved funding: $20,872,000
	Total funds disbursed: $0.00
	TB
	The proposal for TB is not yet ready for submission.

Africa (HIV/AIDS/Tuberculosis)

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the impact of tuberculosis on mortality rates in Africa; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: In 2003, the global TB mortality rate was estimated as 1,747,000. 538,000 (about 30 per cent.) of these deaths are in Africa 1 . There are no reliable all-cause mortality data—so it is difficult to give a figure on the proportion of deaths in Africa that are accounted for by tuberculosis.
	However, TB deaths are increasing in Africa after almost 40 years of decline. In particular, TB is a leading cause of death in patients with AIDS. In some countries in sub-Saharan Africa up to 70 per cent. of TB patients are co-infected with HIV—70 per cent. of the 14 million people worldwide who have both HIV and TB are in Africa 2 .
	1 http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs104/en/
	2 Report of the Commission for Africa—March 2005

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Fraud

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on public advertising for reporting benefit fraud in the UK in 2004.

James Plaskitt: The current Targeting Benefit Fraud advertising campaign aims to promote a climate of intolerance to benefit fraud and to reinforce the message that benefit fraud is socially unacceptable. In 2004–05 £6,017,250 was spent on campaign advertising. Where appropriate the National Benefit Fraud hotline number has been included in some campaign activity.

Benefit Fraud

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the value of fraud connected with each social security benefit; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The measurement of fraud and error is complex and expensive and therefore it is concentrated on benefits with the highest expenditure and risk of loss, such as income support, jobseeker's allowance and housing benefit.
	Up-to-date estimates of fraud and error in disability living allowance (DLA) will become available later this month when the results of the current review of DLA are
	published.
	The available information is as follows.
	
		£ million
		
			 Benefit Measurement period Monetary value fraud (MVF) central estimate 95 per cent. confidence intervals(7) 
		
		
			 Income support 2003–04 310 270–360 
			 Jobseeker's allowance2003–04 90 70–110 
			 Pension credit/MIG 2003–04 70 40–90 
			 Incapacity benefit 2000–01 No estimate(8) (9)0–19 
		
	
	(7) The estimates are derived from sampling exercises and are subject to sampling error. The impact of these statistical uncertainties is expressed by means of 95 per cent. confidence intervals.
	(8) No cases of fraud were found so a central estimate could not be produced, only an upper limit.
	(9) When making estimates using older figures, we calculate the fraud per unit benefit expenditure and uprate the monetary value estimate by applying this rate to current expenditure. In the case of IB, where expenditure on IB has barely changed since 2000–01, there has been no change in our best estimate of MVF.
	Note:
	Benefits measured prior to 1997 are not included because the measurement methodology was different previous to this and, thus, the results are not comparable.
	For the year to March 2004, around £600 million was estimated to have been overpaid due to fraud and error in housing benefit (HB). Fraud is estimated to have accounted for between a quarter and a half of the £600 million, depending upon how much of the overpaid HB arising from non residence" was due to fraud. Non-residence fraud and error is where the claimant is not resident at the property for which HB is being paid. In these circumstances, it is often hard for our investigators to ascertain whether there was fraudulent intent.

Child Support Agency

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to assist parents with care who are pursuing maintenance claims through the Child Support Agency against non-resident parents who work abroad.

James Plaskitt: If a non resident parent lives and works abroad, the Child Support Agency only has jurisdiction if they are employed by the Crown or a UK based employer. In these cases, they are required to pay child support for children who are habitually resident in the UK.
	If the non resident parent is not employed by the Crown or working for a UK based company, the parent with care can apply to the courts under the Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders (REMO) scheme. The UK has arrangements with more than 100 countries and territories that allow a person living in one jurisdiction to claim maintenance from an ex-partner living in the other.

Child Support Agency

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will set a timetable for the transfer of cases at the Child Support Agency from the old to the new scheme.

James Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Bolton, South-East (Dr. Iddon), on 20 June 2005, Official Report, column 705W.

Pension Protection Fund

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions at what level he expects the Pension Protection Fund to be set; and how much he expects will be funded through (a) employee contribution and (b) public funds.

Stephen Timms: During its first year, the Pension Protection Fund is expected to raise approximately £150 million through the initial levy. For subsequent years, the amounts will be determined by the Pension Protection Fund within the limits set by Secretary of State through setting a levy ceiling. The Pension Protection Fund expects to consult shortly on its proposed approach to setting the levy for future years.
	It is the responsibility of the trustee or the pension scheme manager to pay the PPF levies. The levy is a charge in respect of each member, rather than a fee to be paid by each member. The trustees may choose to pass the costs onto the employer by way of increased employer contributions to the scheme. The employer may in turn pass the costs to employees who are active members of the scheme but they may not pass the cost to pensioners.
	The Pension Protection Fund will not be funded with public funds. If the Government were to provide the funding the costs would ultimately fall on ordinary taxpayers, the majority of whom do not have access to a defined benefit occupational pension scheme. Further we have designed the Pension Protection Fund to be financially self sufficient without recourse to the Government.

Terminal Illness (Benefits)

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  for how long on average awards of (a) disability living allowance and (b) attendance allowance under the special rules for terminal illness lasted in the last year for which figures are available from the date of award to the claimant's death or the termination of the claim;
	(2)  what the average duration of special rules awards for cancer patients was in the last year for which figures are available;
	(3)  what the duration of (a) disability living allowance and (b) attendance allowance special rules awards were for each of the last five years, from the date of award to the claimant's death or end of claim; and for how many claimants awards lasted up to (i) one month, (ii) one to two months, (iii) two to three months, (iv) three to four months, (v) four to five months, (vi) five to six months, (vii) six to seven months, (viii) seven to eight months, (i) eight to nine months, (ix) nine to 10 months, (x) 10 to 11 months, (xi) 11 to 12 months and (xii) more than 12 months;
	(4)  what the duration of (a) disability living allowance and (b) attendance allowance special rules awards made to cancer patients were in each of the last five years, from the date of award to the claimant's death or end of claim; and for how many claimants awards lasted up to (i) one month, (ii) one to two months, (iii) two to three months, (iv) three to four months, (v) four to five months, (vi) five to six months, (vii) six to seven months, (viii) seven to eight months, (ix) eight to nine months, (x) nine to 10 months, (xi) 10 to 11 months, (xii) 11 to 12 months and (xiii) more than 12 months.

Anne McGuire: The requested information is not available. The information that is available is in the tables.
	
		Disability living allowance and attendance allowance special rules awards. Estimated numbers of awards which terminated in each of the years from 2000–01 to 2004–05; estimated durations of those awards at the point at which they terminated; and estimated average duration of awards which terminated in 2004–05
		
			   Duration of terminated awards  
			  Total number of terminated awards Over 3 months and up to 6 months Over 6 months and up to 9 months Over 9 months and up to 12 months Over 12 months Average duration of terminated awards (weeks) 
		
		
			 2000–01 70,500 23,700 16,900 9,000 20,800 — 
			 2001–02 75,600 23,500 19,800 9,900 22,400 — 
			 2002–03 73,200 21,200 19,100 9,500 23,400 — 
			 2003–04 71,100 19,600 19,000 9,700 22,800 — 
			 2004–05 70,300 19,000 18,500 9,900 22,900 62 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and may not sum due to rounding.
	2.From November 2002, the methodology for producing DLA and AA figures was changed to allow statistics to be published much sooner. This has resulted in a small increase in the reported caseload. This is because some cases which have actually terminated but have not yet been updated on the computer system are now included.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample data.
	
		Disability living allowance and attendance allowance special rules awards. Estimated numbers of awards made to people whose main disabling condition was recorded as Malignant Disease—including Cancer, Carcinoma and Leukaemia" which terminated in each of the years from 2001–02 to 2004–05; estimated durations of those awards at the point at which they terminated; and estimated average duration of awards which terminated in 2004–05
		
			   Duration of terminated awards  
			  Total number of terminated awards Over 3 months and up to 6 months Over 6 months and up to 9 months Over 9 months and up to 12 months Over 12 months Average duration of terminated awards (weeks) 
		
		
			 2000–01 20,000 5,900 4,900 2,800 6,400 — 
			 2001–02 21,700 6,100 5,600 3,200 6,900 — 
			 2002–03 20,600 5,200 5,100 3,000 7,200 — 
			 2003–04 19,200 4,300 5,000 2,600 7,300 — 
			 2004–05 20,200 4,500 5,000 3,100 7,600 65 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and may not sum due to rounding.
	2.Figures do not include awards in respect of people who may have had cancer, but whose main disabling condition was not recorded as Malignant Disease—including Cancer, Carcinoma and Leukaemia'.
	3.From November 2002, the methodology for producing DLA and AA figures was changed to allow statistics to be published much sooner. This has resulted in a small increase in the reported caseload. This is because some cases which have actually terminated but have not yet been updated on the computer system are now included.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample data.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Advertising Expenditure

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the (a) Department and (b) non-departmental bodies for which the Department is responsible has spent on advertising type in the last three years, broken down by media type.

Maria Eagle: My Department's expenditure on advertising broken down by media type for the last three years is set out as follows:
	
		£000
		
			  2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Advertising spend 11,261 16,948 11 ,825 
			 Press 1,895 2,580 2,266 
			 Regional 249 185 740 
			 TV 5,966 10,110 4,177 
			 Radio 1,362 2,923 3,897 
			 Poster 960 543 744 
			 Cinema 549 — — 
			 Internet 279 604 — 
		
	
	It is not possible, except at disproportionate cost, to provide a breakdown of spend on advertising from non-departmental bodies for which the Department is responsible.
	All expenditure is exclusive of VAT.

Child Care (VAT)

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the effects on the charity and voluntary sector's ability to provide welfare services of the decision to refund VAT incurred in the provision of child care and children's centres to local authorities.

Beverley Hughes: The decision to refund VAT incurred in the provision of childcare and children's centres by local authorities will have no adverse impact on the delivery of welfare services by the charity and voluntary sector organisations. Where the charity and voluntary sector provide child care and children's centres services under the Sure Start programme, funding is on the basis of full cost recovery, including any associated VAT costs providers incur.

EU Students

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2005, Official Report, column 1006W, on EU students, what estimate she has made of the likely value of deferred fee payments that will not be recovered from EU students who return to their home countries after graduation; and what the procedures are which will be put in place to minimise the risk of default.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 June 2005, Official Report, columns 1633–34W, which sets out the resource cost of loans to such students. As set out in the answers given on 21 June 2005, Official Report, column 1006W and 29 June 2005, Official Report, columns 1633–34W, we will not be able to collect payment through the UK tax system for EU borrowers who return to their home country: the Student Loans Company will establish a schedule of payments to be made and we anticipate relying on EU Council Regulation 44/2001 in the cases of defaulting students.

Funding Gap

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will publish the Learning and Skills Development Agency's report on the funding gap between schools and further education colleges; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 28 June 2005
	As part of the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) Agenda for Change, the Learning and Skills Development Agency was commissioned to investigate the relative funding of learning for full-time 16 to 18-year-olds in further education compared with school 6th forms.
	I understand that the LSC will publish the report after its Agenda for Change roadshow events that will occur during the summer. Further details will be available on the LSC's website.
	Government have shown their commitment to further education (FE) through the unprecedented investment they are now making. Total funding for FE will increase by over £1 billion in 2005/06 compared to 2002/03—a 25 per cent. cash increase.

Mathematics

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many mathematics graduates who were not UK citizens have entered the teaching profession in each of the last 10 years.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally.

National Vocational Qualifications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people attained NVQ Level (a) 1, (b) 2, (c) 3, (d) 4 and (e) 5 in engineering in each year between 1997 and 2004.

Phil Hope: The following table shows UK estimates for the number of qualifications awarded in engineering in each year between 1997 and 2004. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100.
	
		NVQ attainment in engineering 1997 to 2004
		
			 Year of award Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Total 
		
		
			 1997/98 4,000 29,100 12,400 300 0 45,700 
			 1998/99 2,200 29,100 14,406 400 0 46,100 
			 1999/2000 1,600 26,800 17,800 300 0 46,500 
			 2000/01 1,400 23,500 14,600 200 0 39,600 
			 2001/02 2,700 15,700 14,000 100 0 32,600 
			 2002/03 3,900 16,100 12,200 100 0 32,300 
			 2003/04 4,000 16,500 11,500 200 0 32,100 
		
	
	The engineering sector continues to be significantly involved with the Government's apprenticeship programmes and numbers entering engineering programmes are increasing with over 28,000 people currently in learning.

School Meals

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2005, Official Report, columns 476–78W, on school meals, which public body is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the regulations to which she refers.

Jacqui Smith: In response to answer of 7 June 2005, Official Report, columns 476–78W, the regulations referred to are The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999, which require schools to have a wholesome supply of water for domestic purposes, including drinking water. These regulations apply to schools maintained by local education authorities (LEAs). The LEAs together with the school governors are responsible for ensuring compliance with the regulations. The Secretary of State can, under section 497 of the Education Act 1996, take action to enforce compliance with The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999.
	Independent schools are subject to The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003 which quote The Education School Premises Regulations 1999 in respect of water supplies. The Independent School Standards are the regulations to which independent schools are inspected under part 10 of the Education Act 2002. The Independent Schools Registration Authority will consider the inspectors report and can take enforcement action.

Secondary Schools (Cricket Pitches)

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many secondary schools have access to an artificial cricket pitch; and what proportion of schools this represents.

Jacqui Smith: While the school premises data that the Department collects from local education authorities include information on the suitability of sports provision, the data do not show numbers of schools with access to artificial cricket pitches.

Training and Enterprise Council

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions have taken place between her Department and the Department for Work and Pensions concerning the applicability of the (a) Pension Protection Fund and (b) Financial Assistance Scheme to the former Training and Enterprise Council pension schemes.

Phil Hope: No discussions have taken place between my Department and the Department for Work and Pensions concerning the applicability of the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) or the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) to the former Training and Enterprise Council (TEC/CCTE) pension schemes.
	There has been only one case where issues relating to the PPF or Financial Assistance Scheme have been raised within my Department in relation to TEC/CCTE pension schemes. This case involves the one scheme which has not yet secured the bulk transfer terms on offer from the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS). The trustee for that scheme is now working to secure the bulk transfer terms offered by the Government Actuary's Department. This will enable those members who choose to do so, to secure their accrued benefits in the PCSPS.
	In all cases it was found that neither the PPF nor the FAS was applicable.

TREASURY

Cervical Cancer

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of deaths from cervical cancer occurred in women (a) aged 60 and over, (b) between 30 and 59 and (c) under 30 years in each year since 1975.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Lynne Featherstone, dated 5 July 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question on what proportion of deaths from cervical cancer occurred in women (a) aged 60 and over, (b) between 30 and 59, and (c) under 30 years in each year since 1975.1 am replying in his absence. (8130)
	The latest year for which data are available is 2003. Figures for cervical cancer are shown in the attached table for the calendar years 1975 to 2003.
	
		Percentage of all cervical cancer(10)deaths by age-group in England and Wales 1975 to 2002(11)
		
			  (a) 60 and over (b) 30–59 (c) Under 30 
		
		
			 1975 57.2 41.3 1.4 
			 1976 57.0 41.7 1.3 
			 1977 58.2 40.9 0.9 
			 1978 57.2 41.2 1.6 
			 1979 58.3 40.1 1.6 
			 1980 58.5 39.6 1.9 
			 1981 58.7 39.5 1.8 
			 1982 60.4 37.9 1.7 
			 1983 59.9 37.8 2.3 
			 1984 60.3 36.9 2.7 
			 1985 60.1 37.8 2.0 
			 1986 56.7 40.7 2.6 
			 1987 58.1 39.3 2.7 
			 1988 59.8 38.5 1.7 
			 1989 59.7 38.5 1.8 
			 1990 59.2 39.0 1.8 
			 1991 58.7 38.8 2.5 
			 1992 59.8 38.2 2.0 
			 1993 57.5 40.7 1.7 
			 1994 61.2 36.9 1.9 
			 1995 57.4 40.2 2.5 
			 1996 59.2 38.6 2.1 
			 1997 57.6 40.3 2.0 
			 1998 57.3 40.6 2.1 
			 1999 59.8 38.0 2.2 
			 2000 58.7 40.1 1.3 
			 2001 58.7 39.2 2.1 
			 2002 59.4 39.1 1.5 
			 2003 60.8 36.7 2.5 
		
	
	(10)The cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Eight Revison (ICD-8) code 180 for the years 1975 to 1978, the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 180 for the years 1979 to 2000, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code C53 from 2001 onwards.
	(11)Figures are based on deaths registered in each calendar year from 1975 to 1992, and on deaths occurring in each calendar year from 1993 onwards.

Correspondence

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to reply to the letter of 9 February from the hon. Member for Central Ayrshire, regarding the proposal for an African twin-town with Ayrshire.

John Healey: There is no record of this letter being received in the Treasury but a copy has been requested and a reply will be sent as soon as possible.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency uses computer assisted mass appraisal for valuations of residential properties when they are sold.

Dawn Primarolo: As set out in the VGA's press notice of 10 September 2004, computer assisted mass appraisal will be used for the first time, to assist in the revaluation of domestic properties in England that will come into effect on 1 April 2007.

Currency

Greg Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many £5 (a) coins and (b) notes are in circulation.

Ivan Lewis: The value and number of £5 Bank of England banknotes in circulation on 22 June 2005 was £1,035,162,405 and 207,032,481, respectively.
	As for £5 coins, these are issued only to commemorate special occasions of national importance and are not intended to be used in general circulation. Rather they are something which people wish to keep as souvenirs to mark a special occasion.

Government Bonds

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average interest rate yield on 10-year Government bonds in the UK was in each year for each of the last 10 years.

Ivan Lewis: The following table sets out the average yield on 10-year nominal UK Government bonds (gilts") for each calendar year between 1994 and 2004.
	
		Percentage
		
			  Average yield on 10-year maturity gilts 
		
		
			 1994 8.0 
			 1995 8.2 
			 1996 7.8 
			 1997 7.0 
			 1998 5.5 
			 1999 5.0 
			 2000 5.3 
			 2001 4.9 
			 2002 4.9 
			 2003 4.5 
			 2004 4.9 
		
	
	It is misleading to consider debt-servicing costs based on 10-year nominal gilts only, because this would not take account of the range of maturities and yields at which Governments issue bonds.

Government Debt

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to reduce the level of long-term interest rates paid by the Government on their debt with a maturity of 10 years or more.

Ivan Lewis: The Government's primary policy objective for managing Government debt is to minimise over the long-term the costs of meeting the Government's financing needs, taking into account risk, while ensuring that debt management policy is consistent with the aims of monetary policy. The Government's debt management policy is set out more fully in the Debt and Reserves Management Report 2005–06. The principles underpinning this policy are set out in the Code for Fiscal Stability.

Income Tax

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what level of standard rate of income tax he estimates would be required, assuming no other changes to behaviour, to recoup the revenue lost from (a) abolition of the lower rate of income tax and (b) plus raising the threshold to (i) £10,000 and (ii)£15,000.

Dawn Primarolo: The information for 2005–06 is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Basic rate and higher rate required for approximate tax neutrality 
			 Personal allowance (£) Basic rate Higher rate 
		
		
			 10,000 31 (12)40 
			 15,000 46 (12)40 
			 15,000 44 (13)44 
		
	
	(12)This is the current higher tax rate.
	(13)This costing assumes a flat (basic and higher) tax rate.
	Estimates are based on the 2002–03 Survey of Personal Incomes projected forward in line with Budget 2005 assumptions.
	The figures exclude any estimate of behavioural response, which could be significant given the scale of the changes.
	These estimates have been obtained after increasing all personal allowances (i.e. the personal allowances and personal allowances for individuals aged 65 and above) to either £10,000 or £15,000.
	These estimates assume abolishing the 10 per cent, starting rate of income tax only. This means no changes to basic rates in savings income and on dividends.
	The costing also assumes the basic rate band has been extended to include the starting rate band.

Insurance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make representations to (a) the Association of British Insurers and (b) the wider insurance industry to ensure that (i) all domestic and commercial properties remain eligible for insurance policies and (ii) the excess on insurance is not put at a level that is out of the reach of householders and businesses.

Ivan Lewis: The Government have regular discussions with the Association of British Insurers and the insurance industry on these issues. However, the availability and pricing of insurance is a matter for insurance companies themselves.

Nervous System Diseases

Robert Flello: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the incidence of (a) brain tumours, (b) other cancers, (c) Parkinson's disease and (d) other diseases of the nervous system per 1,000 of the population was in (i) England and (ii) the ST3 postcode area in the last period for which figures are available.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Robert Flello, dated 5 July 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the incidence of (a) brain tumours, (b) other cancers, (c) Parkinson's disease and (d) other diseases of the nervous system per 1,000 population in (i) England and (ii) the ST3 postcode area in the last period for which figures are available. I am replying in his absence.
	The most recent available figures on newly diagnosed cases of cancer are for the year 2002. The number and rates of newly diagnosed cases of brain cancer and other cancers were published in Cancer registrations in England, 2002". This publication shows the age-standardised incidence rates (directly standardised to the European standard population). For brain cancer these were 7.8 in males and 5.2 in females, per 100,000 population in England. The age-standardised incidence rates for other malignant cancers (excluding brain and non-melanoma skin cancer) were 385.7 in males and 326.0 in females, per 100,000 population in England.
	Cancer incidence figures for the postcode sector ST3 can not be provided because of the risk to patient confidentially. The smallest areas for which cancer incidence figures are provided is primary care trusts. However, figures for brain cancer are not routinely available at this geographic level.
	Rates of first diagnosis of Parkinsons disease in the fourth national study of Morbidity Statistics from General Practice, which covered England and Wales, were 36 per 100,000 population. Figures are not available from this study for smaller areas.
	There is no information available centrally on the incidence of other diseases of the nervous system.

Powered Wheelchairs (Insurance)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to allow electric powered wheelchair dealers to sell insurance policies.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 4 July 2005
	Dealers of electric powered wheelchairs are currently free to sell insurance policies, subject to the requirement that they be authorised to do so by the Financial Services Authority.

Public Borrowing

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he predicts the golden rule measure of net borrowing will be over the (a) current and (b) next economic cycle.

Ivan Lewis: The latest assessment of progress against the golden rule is set out in the financial statement and Budget report 2005 (HC 372).

Road Pricing

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on his policy on lorry road user charging;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the progress of the lorry road user charging scheme; and what the timetable is for the implementation of the scheme.

John Healey: Our work on the LRUC has strengthened the Government's view that distance-based charging for using the UK's roads is technically achievable. In particular, our proof of solution" work with prospective suppliers has enabled us to see the technology in action, and is confirming our expectations of its ability to deliver a distance-based charge.
	Now that we are taking forward work on a national system of road pricing, so it is right for us to take forward the plans for distance based lorry charging as part of the wider work on national road pricing—to work for a single comprehensive, cost-effective system.
	So although the current procurement for lorry road user charging will not continue, we will continue to work with industry and ensure that we carry the full experience gained from the project into the wider work to develop a national road pricing system for cars and lorries.
	And we will continue to work with the haulage industry to ensure that its needs are represented as we develop a national road pricing system.

Smoking

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research he has evaluated on the cost to the economy of (a) loss of workforce through smoking-related illness and (b) loss of working hours through smoking breaks.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	In view of the health risk from smoking, our policy is to prevent uptake of the habit and to assist smokers to stop. We evaluate impacts, on the economy in general and employers in particular, in the context of specific policies. On Monday 20 June, we launched a consultation on the smoke free elements of the Health Improvement and Protection Bill. Alongside the consultation, we published a partial regulatory impact assessment on smoke free enclosed public places and workplaces. This contains estimates of the costs and benefits, including the impact of smoking and smoking breaks on the economy. A copy is available in the Library.

State Pensions

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will exempt state pensions from income tax and national insurance contributions.

Ivan Lewis: State pensions are not subject to national insurance contributions. Successive Governments have believed that a pension, whether State or occupational, is a form of income like earnings and as such should be taxable, subject to any age related personal allowances.
	While state pensions are subject to income tax, the age related personal allowances for people aged 65 and over mean that in 2005–06 no pensioner aged 65 or over will be required to pay tax on income of less than £136 a week in 2005–06, considerably more than the basic state pension of £82.05.
	This means that around half of all pensioners do not pay income tax. Exempting the state pension from income tax would therefore only benefit the better off pensioners; the Government instead continues to focus resources on the poorest pensioners.

Tax Credits/Models

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to contact recipients of tax credits who have had overpayments recovered prior to June to notify them of the rights of appeal under Code of Practice 26; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Where a claimant's tax credit award is revised, following a change of circumstances, they are sent a revised award notice. Where entitlement has been reduced, the guidance notes sent out at the same time as the award notice, bring to the attention of the claimant HMRC's Code of Practice COP 26 What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?'.

Tax Credits/Models

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which models used by other countries to estimate the tax gap his Department has studied.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC has studied models used by Australia, Canada, France, Holland, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States.
	The models used by other countries to estimate the tax gap split into two main types—models based on the results of enquiries, and models based on the results of surveys. HMRC is studying the use of both these types of models.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Official Visits

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if the Minister for Sport will make an official visit to Halifax.

Richard Caborn: I regularly make regional visits but at the moment have no current plans to visit Halifax.

Olympics 2012

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the progress of plans for the new (a) aquatic centre, (b) velopark and (c) hockey pitches identified in the London 2012 bid; who will finance these facilities; and when they are expected to be completed.

David Lammy: holding answer 4 July 2005
	Should London win the right to host the 2012 games we are planning to complete all the Olympic facilities well in advance of 2012. All the facilities will be funded from the public sector funding package for the games. Should London be unsuccessful we have committed to building an aquatics centre, velopark and hockey pitches in East London. These facilities will be funded from a combination of sources including Sport England and the London Development Agency.

Olympics 2012

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the budget was for the promotion of the London 2012 bid; and how much of that budget has been spent.

David Lammy: holding answer 4 July 2005
	The Government budget for supporting the London Olympic bid was £10 million, financed in equal part by my Department and the London Development Agency (LDA). This budget has been fully committed. In addition, my Department and the LDA have contributed up to £20 million to the budget of the Bid company London 2012.

Olympics 2012

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions (a) she and (b) other Ministers in her Department have had with the Treasury concerning the tax take on the proposed Olympic lottery game.

David Lammy: holding answer 4 July 2005
	DCMS Ministers regularly discuss a wide range of business with colleagues at the Treasury. However, no such discussions have been held on the taxation of the proposed Olympic lottery games as tax policy is a matter for the Chancellor and is considered as part of the Budget process.

Places of Worship (VAT)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 28 June 2005, Official Report, column 1431W, which listed places of worship in Northern Ireland have received grants covering the full amount of VAT paid on eligible works.

David Lammy: There are 57 listed places of worship in Northern Ireland that have received grants covering the full amount of VAT paid on eligible works since the scheme was extended in April 2004. They are as follows:
	
		
			 Church Address Grant received (£) 
		
		
			 Presbyterian Church Ebrington, Londonderry 3,743.76 
			 St. Peters Cathedral St. Peters Square, Belfast 10,384.22 
			 St. Pauls Parish Church Parish of Errigal, Main Street, Garvagh 3,292.42 
			 St. Marys Church Craigavole, Garvagh, Co. Londonderry 14,620.66 
			 Dunluce Presbyterian Church Priestland Road, Walk Mill, Bushmills 628.61 
			 First Presbyterian Church Meeting House St., Ballymoney 32,679.50 
			 St. Johns Church Bentra Road, Ballycarry, Larne, Carrickfergus 2,008.98 
			 The Old Presbyterian Church Meeting House Street, Larne, Co. Antrim 305.28 
			 St. Saviours Church Church Street, Connor, Ballymena, Co. Antrim 1,628.73 
			 Moravian Church 25 Church Road, Gracehill, Co. Antrim 303.20 
			 Parish Church The Square, Pomeroy, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone 2,145.36 
			 Holy Trinity/Garvary Parish Church Tempo Road, Garvary, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh 261.09 
			 Inishmacsaint Parish Church Binmore Glebe, Derrygonnelly, Enniskillen 3,814.07 
			 Ardess Kesh, Co. Fermanagh 304.90 
			 Parish Church of Magheracross Main St., Ballinamallard, Co. Fermanagh 7,362.92 
			 Clonfeacle Parish Church of St. Patrick Main St., Benburb, Co. Tyrone 595.00 
			 St. Michaels Church Castlecaulfield, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone 10,663.36 
			 Armagh Road Presbyterian Church Church St., Armagh Road, Portadown, Co. Armagh 1,225.00 
			 Christ Church Church Place, Lurgan, Craigavon, Co. Armagh 2,927.16 
			 St. Francis Church Burnt Island, Moss Road, Loughgall, Co. Armagh 9,927.43 
			 Ballymore Parish Church Church St., Tandragee, Co. Armagh 459.13 
			 St. Mochlia Derrynoose Road, Derrynoose, Co. Armagh 29,631.13 
			 Presbyterian Church Church Street, Middletown, Co. Armagh 3,276.64 
			 St. Marks Church The Mall East, Armagh, Co. Armagh 793.75 
			 Mullartown House 159 Glassdrumman Rd., Annalong, Newry 2,941.68 
			 St. Patricks Church Stream Street, Newry, Co. Down 1,286.66 
			 Donaghmore Parish Church 11 Donaghmore Road, Donaghmore, Newry 1,316.65 
			 Ryans Presbyterian Church Old Meury Road, Rathfriland, Co. Down 8,851.81 
			 Presbyterian Church Scarva St., Banbridge, Co. Down 925.93 
			 St. Patricks Saul Brae, Downpatrick, Co. Down 3,625.00 
			 St. Malachys Church 121 Dublin Road, Kilcod, Co. Down 58,340.00 
			 Presbyterian Church Stream St., Downpatrick, Co. Down 5,093.10 
			 Hollymount Church Drumcullen Road, Downpatrick, Co. Down 6,324.43 
			 Ballinderry Presbyterian Church Meetinghouse Street, Larne, Co. Antrim 224.11 
			 St. Johns Church St. John's Road, The Parish of Upper and Lower Kilwadun 22,833.08 
			 First Lisburn Presbyterian Church Market Square, Lisburn, Co. Antrim 1,012.63 
			 Holy Trinity Church Drumbo, Ballylesson, Lisburn, Co. Down 29,859.38 
			 Drummaul Parish Church Church Road, Randalstown, Co. Antrim 7,257.61 
			 First Donegore Presbyterian Church, Main Street, Parkgate, Co. Antrim 3,658.92 
			 Killead Parish Church Crumlin Road, Aldergrove, Co. Antrim 10,881.21 
			 Church of St. Patricks 113 Jordanstown Road, Newtown Abbey, Co. Antrim 468.65 
			 St. Patricks Church Victoria Avenue, Whitehead, Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim 22,999.85 
			 Congregational Church Albert Road, Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim 2,780.94 
			 Parish Church Donaghadee road, Groomsport, Co. Down 353.23 
			 First Presbyterian Church High St., Holywood, Co. Down 1,686.69 
			 Balligan Church of St. Andrew Balligan, Kircubbin, Newtownards, Co. Down 10,515.25 
			 St. Patricks Church Upper North St., Newtownards, Co. Down 64,359.50 
			 St. Marks Parish Church Church St., Newtownards, Co. Down 2,064.28 
			 Fisherwick Presbyterian Church 4 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast 17,737.92 
			 McCracken Memorial Presbyterian Church 161 Malone Road, Belfast 2,374.13 
			 Crescent Church University Road, Belfast 385.00 
			 St. Thomas Church Eglantine Avenue, Lisburn Road, Belfast 472.88 
			 St. Aidans Church of Ireland Blythe St., Belfast 647.50 
			 St. Peters Cathedral St. Peter's Square North, Belfast 209,438.62 
			 St. Marys Church of Ireland The Passionists, Crumlin Road, Belfast 30,191.25 
			 Holy Cross Church of Ireland Crumlin Road, Belfast 53,889.10 
			 Fortwilliam Park Presbyterian Church 557 Antrim Road, Belfast 2,465.00

Running Tracks

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which metropolitan borough councils have running tracks with associated changing facilities.

David Lammy: There are 81 athletics tracks in the following 34 metropolitan borough councils: Barnsley, Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Bury, Coventry, Doncaster, Dudley, Gateshead, Kirklees, Knowsley, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Oldham, Rochdale, Rotherham, Salford, Sandwell, Sefton, Sheffield, Solihull, South Tyneside, St. Helens, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wakefield, Walsall, Wigan, Wirral, Wolverhampton.
	We do not hold details of whether the athletics tracks have associated changing facilities.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Consultancy Companies (Regulation)

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to establish a regulatory body for consultancy companies.

Alan Johnson: It is not fully clear to what my hon. Friend refers. If she would like to write to me with further details I will consider the points she raises.

Economic Partnership Agreements

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will seek to strengthen the European Commission's negotiating mandate on Economic Partnership Agreements as part of the UK presidency of the EU to ensure that countries are not subject to forced liberalisation of trade.

Ian Pearson: The Government do not believe that any changes to the European Commission's negotiating mandate are required. The Government stated in their EPA position paper published in March that
	we will not force trade liberalisation on developing countries either through trade negotiations or aid conditionally"
	and we will continue to work closely with the Commission and other member states to realise this.

Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list (a) the budget and (b) staffing levels of the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate for the (i) 2002–03, (ii) 2003–04 and (iii) 2004–05 financial years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The budget expenditure and staffing complement of the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate for the financial years 2002–03, 2003–04 and 2004–05 are as follows:
	
		£000
		
			  (b) EAS Inspectorate (a) Budget expenditure 
		
		
			 (i) 2002–03 12 regionally based Inspectors  
			  3 Managers also with inspection powers 659,000 
			  5 Helpline staff (to receive complaints, advise and answer worker and agency questions)  
			
			 (ii) 2003–04 12 regionally based Inspectors  
			  3 Managers also with inspection powers 581,000 
			  4 Helpline staff (to receive complaints, advise and answer worker and agency questions)  
			
			 (iii) 2004–05 12 regionally based Inspectors  
			  3 Managers also with inspection powers 566,000 
			  4 Helpline staff (to receive complaints, advise and answer worker and agency questions)

Energy Strategy

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the aims and objectives of the Government's energy policy are.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 4 July 2005
	The aims and objectives of energy policy were set out in the Government's Energy White Paper, Our Energy Future—creating a low carbon economy" in 2003. In particular, it set out the four goals of energy policy:
	To put ourselves on a path to cut the UK's carbon dioxide emissions by some 60 per cent. by about 2050, with real progress by 2020;
	To maintain the reliability of energy supplies;
	To promote competitive markets in the UK and beyond, helping to raise the rate of sustainable economic growth and to improve our productivity;
	To ensure that every home is adequately and affordably heated.

EU Legislation (Compliance)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support his Department will give to the development of a working partnership between developers, investors and the commercial sector to encourage their compliance with EU legislation.

Ian Pearson: It is not fully clear to what my hon. Friend refers. If he would like to write to me with further details I will consider the points he raises.

Methane Gas

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research he has commissioned into the viability of using methane gas to generate electricity.

Alan Johnson: It is not fully clear to what the hon. Member refers. If he would like to write to me with further details I will consider the points he raises.

Research, Technology and Development

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to encourage industry to invest in research, technology and development.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 4 July 2005
	The Government have made clear their long-term ambition of raising R&D intensity in the UK from its current level of 1.9 per cent. of national income to 2.5 per cent. by 2014. To support business investment in research, technology and development, the DTI provides a range of solutions that offer practical support and encouragement to industry at different stages of the innovation process.
	DTI established a business-led Technology Strategy Board in October 2004 to develop a national technology strategy to take a more strategic market-led approach to Government support for new and emerging technologies crucial to innovation.
	The Board has oversight of the £370 million technology programme that provides grant funding for business-led projects. Over the period 2005–08, £320 million of DTI funding is available to businesses in the form of grants to support collaborative research and development in technology areas identified as critical to the growth of the UK economy. A further £50 million contribution has been agreed by DEFRA.
	All businesses can take advantage of a range of business support products designed to help the transfer of knowledge from the research base to industry—collaborative R&D Grants and Knowledge Transfer Networks, through the technology programme, and knowledge transfer partnerships, that provide support for business R&D in kind.
	Additional solutions for small businesses include the Grant for R&D, which provides grants to help individuals and small and medium-sized businesses research and develop technologically innovative products and processes.
	Companies carrying out more than a minimum level of eligible R&D can claim R&D tax credits that are particularly generous for small firms and include a repayable element.
	The DTI also supports UK businesses and HEIs as active participants in EU framework programmes.
	In addition to these direct investment and incentives, a range of other policies influence overall R&D expenditure. For example UKTI efforts to secure inward investment, public procurement, regulation, innovation infrastructure including intellectual property, skills and standards, and national and regional activities to support enterprise and business growth more generally, such as the work of Business Links.

Weights and Measures Directive

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what guidance the Government have given local authority trading standards departments regarding enforcement of the Weights and Measures Directive.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There are a number of directives dealing with weights and measures including directives 75/106/EEC and 76/21 I/EEC which cover the average system of quantity control and quantity labelling for packaged goods.
	Guidance for inspectors, who have the responsibility of enforcing the regulations made under these directives was issued in 1979. There is no other guidance specifically for local authority trading standards departments on weights and measures.
	Guidance is however issued on new regulations, including weights and measures regulations, to assist all who are affected.

TRANSPORT

Air Services/Travellers

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will issue guidelines to airline companies on levels of salt in in-flight meals.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	The Food Standards Agency, in consultation with the Department and stakeholders, is in the process of setting target levels for salt in key product categories that contribute most to intakes. It is anticipated that all sectors of the food industry, including caterers, will work to meet these targets. We will ensure that suppliers of meals to airline passengers are included in this initiative and that airline companies are aware.
	All adult consumers are advised to eat a balanced diet, but specific advice has not been issued to airline passengers about the salt content of in-flight meals.
	I have not received any representations on the impact of in-flight meals on the health of passengers and have no plans to undertake a survey of such meals.

Air Services/Travellers

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of consumers' understanding of financial protection schemes for air travellers; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of changes in the number of UK consumers buying unprotected air travel; and what steps he is taking to address the problem.

Karen Buck: I am advised by the Civil Aviation Authority that 66 per cent. of UK leisure air travellers are protected by the ATOL scheme compared to 98 per cent. in 1997, although some travellers are protected in other ways e.g. insurance or credit card purchasing. We are currently considering a range of options to address this situation.

British Transport Police

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the pension and other benefits packages offered to new British Transport Police constables are in London.

Derek Twigg: New police constables to London and to any other location within the British Transport Police (BTP) are entitled to join the BTP Superannuation Fund upon commencement of service. The Fund is a contributory final salary scheme and provides benefits at early or normal retirement dates depending upon eligibility within the scheme rules.
	The main terms and conditions of service package for BTP covering pay, allowances, sickness and leave mirror those in Police Regulations for Home Department Forces.
	BTP officers serving London are also entitled to:
	London weighting: £1,938 p.a.
	London allowance: £4,338 p.a.
	They are further entitled to free or reduced rate rail travel facilities for work to home purposes only, in accordance with the current regulations.

Crossrail

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what account has been taken of the likely effects on the (a) incremental net present value and (b) cost benefit ratio of the Crossrail plan if the planned additional trains services from Stansted and Hertford East stations do not proceed.

Derek Twigg: Cross London Rail Links have not carried out a separate cost-benefit analysis of the additional Lea Valley services into Liverpool Street.

Crossrail

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which part of the Crossrail network will become operational first.

Derek Twigg: Based on the currently proposed programme, Crossrail trains will initially replace those operating the existing service between Shenfield and Liverpool Street. The first part of the new Crossrail infrastructure that trains will operate over is the section between Farringdon and the Isle of Dogs.

Crossrail

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the walkway in Romford know as Nursery Walk will remain open during construction of Crossrail.

Derek Twigg: The northern section of Nursery Walk passes in subway beneath the Great Eastern Main Line railway tracks. This section will be subject to occasional closures over a period of up to two years while Crossrail extends the subway beneath new tracks in the proposed Romford Depot.

Crossrail

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of Crossrail on the Cotswold Line service from Paddington to Worcester; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: During normal operations on the Great Western Main Line into Paddington, Crossrail will operate on the northern pair of tracks, known as the relief lines. This will not affect the southern pair of lines, known as the main lines, on which services to Worcester operate, as there is no intention of displacing existing traffic from the relief to the main lines.

Cycling

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures the Government are taking to encourage cycling.

Derek Twigg: The Walking and Cycling Action Plan published in June 2004 detailed more than over 40 initiatives from across Government to encourage walking and cycling through provision of improved facilities, training and promotion. The main DfT initiatives on cycling include:
	1. £10 million investment in a Links to Schools" programme of new routes from schools and residential areas to the National Cycle Network benefiting over 300 schools.
	2. Funding for improved bike parking at over 130 rail stations previously identified in a survey as not having capacity to meet demand.
	3. The development and roll-out of a new National Standard for child cycle training in co-operation with 20 road safety and cycling groups.
	4. Improved training and technical guidance to local authority and other practitioners on the design of cycling infrastructure.
	Local spend on cycle facilities through the Local Transport Plan system has increased from £29.5 million in 2001–02 to a projected £46 million in 2005–06, while Transport for London is projecting a spend of £19 million on cycling in London in 2005–06.
	We also created in March this year a new body, Cycling England", to plan and co-ordinate the development of cycling across the country. Cycling England will have a budget of at least £5 million a year for the next three years to allocate to cycling programmes. I expect its work plan to be published soon.

Network Rail

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which projects originally intended to be (a) completed and (b) commenced by Network Rail in the financial year 2004–05 have been deferred.

Derek Twigg: A number of projects were deferred by Network Rail in 2004–05 but the company expects all outputs to be delivered over the five year period to 2008–09. Network Rail's funding and delivery of outputs for the five year period from 2004–05 to 2008–09 were set by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) in its Final Conclusions to the Access Charges Review 2003.

Railways

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the results of the (a) autumn 2004 and (b) autumn 2003 count were showing what the (i)passenger in excess of capacity and (ii) total number of passengers figures were (A) for each train operator providing commuter services into London and (B) in total, broken down into am peak and pm peak and (iii)the change between years.

Derek Twigg: The Strategic Rail Authority publishes the results of the autumn Passengers in Excess of Capacity counts for individual London train operators, in its National Rail Trends Yearbook. A copy of this document has been placed in the Library of the House.

Railways

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what representations he has received following the recent publication of the report from the Association of Train Operating Companies advocating rail peak pricing; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he plans to introduce further rail peak pricing.

Derek Twigg: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made it clear that pricing people off the railway is not the answer to capacity issues. There are no plans to introduce further rail peak pricing. The Department for Transport has to date received five representations from members of the public, following the publication of ATOC's report.

Railways

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce the final decision on the reopening of the Kettering-Corby railway line to regular passenger traffic; and what the timetable is for the assessment of the project before then.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 4 July 2005
	Work is currently in hand to establish the costs and feasibility of providing a direct passenger service between Corby and London. If the outcome of this work demonstrates that such a service is feasible, the next Midland Main Line franchise specification will include a costed option for a Corby-London service to be introduced at some point during the life of the next franchise which is currently due to commence in 2008.
	When the bids for the franchise are received, the Secretary Of State will need to determine whether the proposed service gives value for money and is affordable before deciding when or whether a service will be introduced.

Railways

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason the new platforms at Moor Street station are not being used; and when they will brought into use.

Derek Twigg: Network Rail decided at an early stage in the refurbishment of Moor Street station that economies could be found by linking the re-opening of the two terminal platforms with the longer term proposal of the major Saltley area re-signalling project. Network Rail's decision was endorsed by both the Strategic Rail Authority and Chiltern Railways.
	Network Rail and Chiltern Railways have worked closely to accelerate the opening of platforms 3 and 4 prior to Saltley re-signalling, and currently the timing for their re-opening is in late 2006. This date is subject to the creation of a robust construction timetable and completion of the legal processes to allow the terminal platforms to be re-connected with the network.

Railways

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what improvements to Pitsea Station on the c2c line are planned; and what the timescale is.

Derek Twigg: Improvements are being made by c2c. These include a new booking hall with automatic sliding door access; a new waiting room, toilets and retail unit; installation of CCTV and automatic ticket gates; replacement of fencing and paving; and installation of night security gates. Work began on 21 February and is scheduled for completion by autumn 2005.

Railways

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with Network Rail on ensuring that necessary engineering work is carried out to enable commuter trains to use the platforms at Waterloo station which will be vacated by Eurostar in 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Strategic Rail Authority has led a study for the Department into the future uses of Waterloo International after Eurostar vacate the station. Discussions with Network Rail on various matters, including engineering works, took place during the course of the study.

Railways

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many deaths there were on railway lines in London in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is only able to provide the following data for the number of fatalities on the railway in London from 1 April 2002 onwards. Prior to this date, rail fatality data was not broken down by region.
	
		Railway fatality data for London(14)from1 April 2002 to 31 December 2004
		
			  Total fatalities 
		
		
			 2002–03 78 
			 2003–04 70 
			 2004(15) 40 
		
	
	(14)Data covers London Underground, Croydon Tramlink and Serco Docklands Light Railway, as well as the mainline railway network.
	(15)These figures cover only the nine months April to December 2004, following a change from financial year to calendar year reporting.

Railways

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the timetable is for the South West Trains franchise renewal; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The South Western franchise will comprise the existing franchises of South West Trains and Island Line. The new franchise is planned to commence in February 2007 on expiry of the existing South West Trains and Island Line contracts.

Railways

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions his Department has had with the Association of Train Operating Companies on overcrowding (a) in the south-east and (b) on the c2c line.

Derek Twigg: The Department for Transport has recently held discussions with Association of Train Operating Companies about crowding in future years in response to potential growth as a result of the Thames Gateway initiative. There have been no recent discussions on crowding on the c2c line.

Railways

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 28 June 2005, Official Report, column 1418W, on railways, if he will take steps to change the limits prescribed to control overcrowding to increase passenger capacity for those travelling for over 40 minutes on the c2c line.

Derek Twigg: The limits are the Passengers in Excess of Capacity" (PiXC) limits and there are currently no plans to change them.

Trams and Guided Buses

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) tram and (b) guided bus systems that have been opened in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: The information is as follows.
	
		Schemes opened since 1997
		
			 Light rail schemes  
		
		
			 Midland Metro 1999 
			 Docklands Light Railway (DLR) Lewisham extension 1999 
			 Croydon Tramlink 2000 
			 Manchester Metrolink Phase II (to Eccles) 2000 
			 Tyne and Wear Metro Sunderland extension 2002 
			 Nottingham Express Transit 2004 
			   
			 Guided bus schemes  
			 Leeds-East Leeds Quality Bus Initiative 2001 
			 Bradford-Manchester Road Quality Bus Initiative 2001 
			 Crawley Fastway:  
			 Phase 1 2003 
			 Phase 2 2004

WALES

Computer Crime

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many cases of computer (a) hacking, (b) fraud and (c) theft his Department recorded in each year since 2001–02; and for each year, on how many occasions computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers (i) within and (ii) outside his Department.

Peter Hain: During this period, there have been no recorded cases of computer hacking, fraud or theft.
	There have been no recorded cases of computer systems being illegally accessed by computer hackers within or outside the Department.

Consultants

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to issue guidance on effective commissioning for those in the public and voluntary sectors who are commissioning work from external consultants.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office has no plans to issue guidance on effective commissioning for public and voluntary sectors who are commissioning work from external consultants.
	The Office of Government Commerce offers best practice advice to the public and voluntary sector through its web-based product, the Successful Delivery Toolkit.

Council Tax Revaluation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether transitional relief in the council tax revaluation in Wales was subsidised by central Government.

Peter Hain: Following revaluation and re-banding of domestic properties in Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government have introduced a transitional relief scheme to ensure that no household's council tax bill will rise by more than one band in each of the first three years. This will be funded by the Welsh Assembly from within their departmental expenditure limit and has not been subsidised by central Government.

M4 (Opening Dates)

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the opening dates of sections of the M4 in Wales since 1975; and if he will list the opening dates of sections of the (a) A55 and (b) A470 in Wales between 1975 and 1998.

Peter Hain: The available information is set out in the following table:
	
		Opening dates of sections of M4, A55 and A470
		
			 Date Section 
		
		
			 M4  
			 29 April 1977 Pontardulais By-Pass 
			 1977 Morriston By-Pass 
			 21 October 1977 Tredegar Park to St Meltons 
			 11 November 1977 Stormy Down to Groes (Stage 1) 
			 22 December 1977 Coryton to Miskin 
			 22 December 1977 Miskin to Pencoed 
			 23 April 1980 Tredegar Park to Malpas 
			 10 July 1980 Castleton to Coryton 
			 18 September 1981 Pencoed to Stormy Down 
			 30 April 1982 Coldra to Caerleon 
			 26 February 1993 Earlswood to Lonlas 
			 9 December 1994 Baglan to Briton Ferry 
			 9 December 1994 Briton Ferry to Earlswood 
			   
			 A55  
			 1975 Northop Hall Crossroads to East of Gables 
			 1976 Coed-Cra to Chaingates 
			 1976 Chester Southerly (Welsh Section) 
			 December 1980 Holywell By-Pass (Stage 1) 
			 March 1981 Diversion East of Abergele 
			 December 1983 Bangor By-Pass 
			 September 1984 Hawarden By-Pass 
			 December 1984 Llanddulas to Glan Conwy (Colwyn Bay  By-Pass, Stage 1) 
			 June 1985 Llanddulas to Glan Conwy (Colwyn Bay  By-Pass, Stage 2) 
			 October 1986 Holywell By-Pass (Stage 2) 
			 December 1986 Bodelwyddan By-Pass 
			 June 1989 Penmaenbach Tunnel 
			 June 1989 Northop By-Pass 
			 October 1989 Penmaenmawr and Llanfairfechan By-Passes 
			 May 1990 Travellers' Inn Improvement 
			 1991 Conwy Crossing 
			 May 1992 Rhuallt Hill Improvement 
			 October 1993 Pen-y-Clip Tunnel 
			 October 1994 Abergwyngregyn Improvement 
			   
			 A470  
			 4 November 1985 Abercynon to Pentrebach 
			 May 1988 Minffordd to Dolwyddelan 
			 25 February 1991 Llanidloes By-Pass 
			 8 November 1996 Pentrebach to Cefn Coed (Section 1) 
			 18 July 1997 Pentrebach to Cefn Coed (Section 2) 
			 October 1997 Cancoed to Minffordd (Lledr Valley Stage 1)

Taxis

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much the Department has spent on taxis in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: The cost to the Department for taxis was:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			  Cost of taxis 
			 2000–01 1,266 
			 2001–02 2,851 
			 2002–03 796 
			 2003–04 1,154 
			 2004–05 625

Welsh Assembly Electoral System

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the Government's plans to amend the electoral system for the Welsh Assembly to party list candidates also running for constituency seats.

Peter Hain: I made an oral statement on 15 June 2005, Official Report, column 263, on the White Paper Better Governance for Wales"

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Affordable Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many affordable homes were provided in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: The number of affordable homes provided on behalf of each London borough in each of the last five financial years are shown as follows:
	
		London boroughs: affordable homes
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 68 50 28 22 154 
			 Barnet 116 138 99 132 174 
			 Bexley 45 26 150 68 91 
			 Brent 359 322 224 243 315 
			 Bromley 127 75 146 66 157 
			 Camden 124 146 150 165 336 
			 City of London 0 4 0 8 30 
			 Croydon 154 350 230 125 274 
			 Ealing 148 156 179 244 402 
			 Enfield 232 431 293 256 369 
			 Greenwich 231 327 149 586 458 
			 Hackney 306 257 373 482 359 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 177 149 103 488 376 
			 Haringey 265 286 167 349 272 
			 Harrow 103 123 121 111 141 
			 Havering 20 197 45 56 126 
			 Hillingdon 253 185 113 168 154 
			 Hounslow 40 187 118 327 165 
			 Islington 214 152 262 315 261 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 61 72 112 236 79 
			 Kingston upon Thames 118 71 43 55 195 
			 Lambeth 134 244 272 378 341 
			 Lewisham 261 229 234 303 504 
			 Merton 57 76 78 62 146 
			 Newham 223 405 327 304 426 
			 Redbridge 101 199 128 161 274 
			 Richmond upon Thames 54 57 15 109 192 
			 Southwark 258 223 250 340 639 
			 Sutton 212 153 196 145 349 
			 Tower Hamlets 205 296 404 336 153 
			 Waltham Forest 241 224 196 115 162 
			 Wandsworth 94 130 116 108 413 
			 Westminster 394 349 180 210 280 
		
	
	Source:
	Housing Corporation
	(Includes new build dwellings, acquisitions and refurbishments)
	The numbers include homes for both rent and low cost home ownership provided through new build dwellings, acquisitions and refurbishments via the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme including Key Worker Living in 2004–05 and exclude the Transitional Local Authority Social Housing Grant, the Starter Homes Initiative (not delivered through the Approved Development Programme) and S106 agreements where there was no Housing Corporation funding.

Affordable Homes

Vincent Cable: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many of the new homes to be built under the first-time buyers initiative he expects will be available at a price of £60,000.

Yvette Cooper: The first-time buyers initiative is a proposal being developed by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and English Partnership with the aim of providing 15,000 affordable homes by 2010 across England on a shared equity basis. It is one element in our package of proposals for increasing access to low cost home ownership as set out in our consultation paper Homebuy—expanding the opportunity to own" published in April 2005. Half of the homes provided will be for key workers and the other half will be for individuals and families who would not be in a position to own their own homes without help. English Partnerships is now developing a delivery plan for the initiative.
	The Design for Manufacture Competition was announced on 26 September 2004 by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister and launched formally on 1 April 2005 to show how it is possible to build a high-quality home for £60,000. The figure of £60,000 relates to a target construction cost for building a two bedroom home and does not reflect the development cost or sale price.
	English Partnerships is running the Design for Manufacture competition on behalf of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The development sites for successful bidders will be provided by English Partnerships and other public bodies. English Partnerships anticipate that construction of homes will start in early 2006 with some completions by the end of 2006. The competition will aim to provide 1,000 homes all to eco-homes very good standard and will include a mix of housing types and tenures as defined by site specific design briefs. We anticipate that about 30 per cent. of the homes built will contribute to the first-time buyers initiative.

Affordable Homes

Vincent Cable: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what additional funding he is making available in (a) 2006–07 and (b) 2007–08 to support (i) the social homebuy scheme, (ii) new build homebuy, (iii) open market homebuy, (iv) joint equity loans with mortgage lenders scheme and (v) the first-time buyers initiative.

Yvette Cooper: The proposals on which we are currently consulting—Homebuy—expanding the opportunity to own" (April 2005) seek to provide simpler, fairer home ownership opportunities for more people, while protecting the supply of social housing. The consultation period closes on 24 June.
	Resources will be found from within existing Spending Review 2004 budgets in order to fund the outcome of the consultation.
	We announced in March the split between Regional Housing Boards of the £5 billion available over the two years 2006–07 and 2007–08. We are due to receive updated Regional Housing Strategies and advice on regional housing investment priorities including funding for low cost home ownership by the end of June.

Affordable Homes

John Denham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of properties built for sale under the key worker housing scheme that have not yet been sold; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 27 June 2005
	The Key Worker Living programme was launched in March 2004 and the new build properties for sale are coming onto the market in phases. As at 31 May 2005, the number of properties completed and available for sale through shared ownership and new build homebuy under Key Worker Living (KWL) was 574. 41 of these have been sold. Monitoring information provided to the Housing Corporation by developing RSLs only details when a KWL property is sold. There is no information on how many of these units are currently under offer.

Best Value

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what indicative targets the Government set for each of the 2005–06 best value performance indicators for local authorities.

Phil Woolas: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has not set indicative targets for any of the 2005–06 best value performance indicators (BVPIs) for local authorities. However, minimum performance standards have been set in respect of waste and recycling and for some planning authorities. Local authorities set their own targets for all other BVPIs.

Best Value

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the best value regime applies to (a) fire authorities and (b) police authorities.

Phil Woolas: In accordance with Part 1 of the Local Government Act 1999, Fire and Rescue Authorities and Police Authorities are subject to the duty of best value.

Best Value

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the residents' satisfaction rating was in each council, in each year in which that indicator has been part of the Best Value regime.

Phil Woolas: Best Value User Satisfaction Surveys were carried out in 2000–01 and 2003–04. The results of the 2000–01 survey are available on the following website: www.bvpi.gov.uk. A report which summarised the results of the 2003–04 survey was published in June 2004. Detailed results of the 2003–04 survey will be published on the above website in due course.

Compulsory Purchase Orders

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many compulsory purchase orders have been carried out in each local authority in London in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: Details of which local authorities in London have used CPO powers are shown in the following tables.
	
		1 April 1999 to 31 December 1999(16)
		
			  Number of CPOs: 
			 Local authority Confirmed Not confirmed Withdrawn 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham — — 1 
			 Brent — — 1 
			 Harrow 1 — — 
			 Islington 1 — — 
			 Sutton 1 — — 
			 Tower Hamlets 1 — — 
		
	
	(16)Information 1 January 1999 to 31 March 1999 not available.
	
		1 January 2000 to 31 December 2000
		
			  Number of CPOs: 
			 Local authority Confirmed Not confirmed Withdrawn 
		
		
			 Bexley 1 — — 
			 Brent 1 — — 
			 Enfield — — 1 
			 Greenwich 2 — — 
			 Harrow 1 — — 
			 Islington 1 — — 
			 Merton 1 — — 
			 Newham 1 — — 
			 Redbridge 1 — — 
			 Sutton 1 — — 
			 Tower Hamlets 1 — — 
		
	
	
		1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001
		
			  Number of CPOs: 
			 Local authority Confirmed Not confirmed Withdrawn 
		
		
			 Croydon 1 — — 
			 Greenwich 2 — — 
			 Waltham Forest 1 — — 
			 Westminster 1 — — 
		
	
	
		1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002
		
			  Number of CPOs: 
			 Local authority Confirmed Not confirmed Withdrawn 
		
		
			 Enfield 1 1 — 
			 Hackney 2 — — 
			 Newham 9 2 — 
			 Southwark — — 1 
			 Waltham Forest 1 — — 
			 Wandsworth — — 1 
			 Westminster 1 — — 
		
	
	
		1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003
		
			  Number of CPOs: 
			 Local authority Confirmed Not confirmed withdrawn 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham — — 1 
			 Camden 1 — — 
			 Ealing 1 — — 
			 Enfield 1 — — 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham1 1 — 
			 Kingston — — 1 
			 Newham 10 — — 
			 Westminster 2 — — 
		
	
	
		1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004
		
			  Number of CPOs: 
			 Local authority Confirmed Not confirmed Withdrawn 
		
		
			 Barnet — 1 — 
			 Bexley 1 — — 
			 Brent 2 — — 
			 Croydon — — 2 
			 Harrow — — 1 
			 Hounslow 2 — — 
			 Islington 1 — — 
			 Lambeth 1 — 1 
			 Lewisham 2 — — 
			 Tower Hamlets 1 — 1 
			 Newham 17 — — 
			 Southwark 1 — — 
			 Wandsworth 1 — — 
		
	
	Note:
	Housing CPOs are only included in the figures from 1 January 2002 as information before this date is not readily available.
	
		CPO's awaiting decision
		
			 Local authority Number 
		
		
			 Camden 1 
			 Croydon 1 
			 Ealing 1 
			 Hackney 1 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1 
			 Lambeth 1 
			 Newham 6 
			 Wandsworth 1 
			 Westminster 5

Consultants

Janet Dean: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to issue guidance on effective commissioning for those in the public and voluntary sectors who are commissioning work from external consultants.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary on 27 June 2005, Official Report, column 1286W.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Deputy Prime Minister pays council tax for his official residences.

Jim Fitzpatrick: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister occupies Admiralty House as his official residence assigned to him by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. It is occupied as a second home used solely for the purpose of carrying out his job. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister contributes a set proportion of the total maintenance, renovation and running costs of Admiralty House, which is managed by the Cabinet Office.
	My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister also has the use of Dorneywood. Dorneywood is owned and operated by the Dorneywood Trust which is a registered charity, therefore there is no cost to public funds.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated cost is of the council tax revaluation process in England.

Phil Woolas: My hon. Friend the former Member for Shipley in a written reply to the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr. Davey) on 26 June 2003, Official Report, column 895W, indicated that the cost of council tax revaluation was in the region of £200 million including the cost of handling appeals. My hon. Friend explained that that was a very broad estimate because the cost would be affected by the methods used and that decisions on those had not yet been taken. The cost of the Valuation Office Agency's work in preparing for and delivering the council tax revaluation in England on 1 April 2007 is currently estimated at £139.3 million, excluding any element of contingency. This includes expenditure on electronic capture and enhancement of hard copy records and in development of an automated valuation model capability that will also benefit future revaluations. Beyond 1 April 2007, the Valuation Office Agency are currently estimating additional costs above baseline of around £38 million in 2007–08 arising from an expected increase in workload arising from appeals. Final costs will however depend in part on the recommendations of Sir Michael Lyons' independent inquiry into local Government funding.

Council Tax

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the anticipated cost of (a) the council tax revaluation process and (b) the Lyons review of local government finance is.

Phil Woolas: On (a) I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 30 June 2005, Official Report, column 1653W and on (b) I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 30 June 2005, Official Report, column 1655W.

Council Tax

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average amount spent by each household in England on council tax was in the last year for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The average council tax per dwelling in England for 2005–06 is estimated at £1,009.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households are liable for council tax in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland.

Phil Woolas: The number of chargeable dwellings liable for council tax in England in November 2004 was 21,129,000.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister do not hold data for Wales or Scotland; the data for the number of chargeable dwellings liable for council tax in Scotland and Wales are available from the Welsh Assembly Government and the Scottish Executive respectively.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the (a) external advisers, (b) academics and (c) consultants that his Department have consulted over council tax revaluation.

Phil Woolas: The Balance of Funding Review, which was chaired by my right hon. Friend the then Minister for Local and Regional Government, received evidence from the New Policy Institute on council tax reform which covered revaluation. The papers presented by the Institute are available on the website of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister at:
	http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/balance/bofl6.pdf and
	http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/balance/bof24.pdf
	The terms of reference for Sir Michael Lyons's independent inquiry into local finance require him to make recommendations on how best to reform council tax, taking into account the forthcoming revaluation of domestic property.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for how many years the Government expect they will provide transitional relief following the council tax revaluation in England.

Phil Woolas: The Government will consider the appropriate length of time for which a transitional relief scheme should run in the light of the conclusions of the Lyons Inquiry and the responses to the subsequent consultation.

Departmental Telecommunications

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many mobile phones his Department has (a) lost and (b) reported stolen since its establishment.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. Information on mobile phones used by officials is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the number of mobile phones reported by Ministers, special advisers and private office officials as (a) lost or (b) stolen are as follows:
	
		
			  Number of mobile phones 
			  Lost Stolen 
		
		
			 30 May 2002 to 31 March 2003 0 1 
			 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 1 0 
			 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 1 0 
			 1 April 2005 to 27 June 2005 0 0

Departmental Telecommunications

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which telephone answering services for which his Department is responsible are (a) staffed by employees of the Department, (b) serviced by call centres in the UK and (c) serviced by overseas call centres.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for two telephone answering services: the Social Exclusion Unit helpline and the main ODPM switchboard, neither of which are serviced by overseas call centres. The Social Exclusion Unit helpline is staffed by employees of the ODPM, while the main ODPM switchboard is serviced by contractors based within the ODPM's London offices.

Freedom of Information

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many freedom of information requests his Department has received since the introduction of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and how many have been refused.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the Department for Constitutional Affairs' publication Freedom of Information Act 2000—Statistics on Implementation in Central Government Q1: January-March 2005", which was published, and copies of which were placed in the Libraries of both Houses, on 23 June 2005. The information requested can be found in table 3 of the Report.
	DCA will be publishing figures for Government Departments' performance under Freedom of Information, including volumes of requests handled by Departments and outcomes of requests, on an ongoing quarterly basis.

Gershon Review

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the implementation of the Gershon Review by local authorities.

Phil Woolas: Local authorities in England have to submit annual efficiency statements, which are comprised of two parts; the forward look is prepared at the start of a financial year and contains the council's strategy and planned actions for achieving efficiency gains, while the backward look, prepared at the end of the financial year, reports the gains that were actually achieved.
	Local authorities submitted their first forward look statement (covering the year 2005–06) in April. Analysis of these statements indicates that local authorities expect to achieve nearly £1.2 billion efficiency gains during the year, which compares well against the target of £1.0 billion.
	Local authorities submitted their first backward look statement (covering the year 2004–05) in June. Analysis of these statements is still in progress, but the initial indications are that local authorities achieved £0.7 billion efficiency gains in 2004–05. Together, the outcomes of these statements are very encouraging and suggest that authorities are well on their way towards meeting the target set in the Gershon Review. They demonstrate our belief that local authorities have a great deal of experience of successfully identifying opportunities for making efficiency gains.

Gershon Review

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what savings the Government expect local authorities to make under the Gershon Review, broken down by main budget heading.

Phil Woolas: The Government published the annual efficiency target for each local authority in England on 16 June to accompany the publication of the 2005–06 Forward Look Annual Efficiency Statements. The targets are set out in column AJ of the spreadsheet that may be found on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_localgov/documents/page/odpm_locgov_038270.xls.
	In total, the annual efficiency target for all local authorities is £1.023 billion. Thus, the expectation is for local authorities to deliver at least £3.07 billion efficiency gains by 2007–08, which contributes to the overall local Government total of £6.45 billion.

Home Information Packs

Andrew Love: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  why the proposed Home Information Pack energy reports are currently confined to the internal costs of fuels; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will ensure that the proposed Home Information Pack energy reports reflect the external costs of fuels caused by the emission of (a) carbon and (b) other air quality pollutants.

Yvette Cooper: The purpose of providing the information in the proposed energy report is to encourage people to improve the energy performance of their homes. Consequently, the Energy Reports will contain a SAP rating along with information on energy consumption and carbon emissions. The SAP rating, which is based on fuel prices, is included because research indicates that people are most motivated to make energy efficiency investments by reductions in their fuel bills. The external costs of fuel use are reflected in the carbon emissions data. It is not possible to include information on other external costs from fuel use as these are insufficiently quantifiable.

Homelessness

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1) what estimate he has made of the number of homeless households who were placed in self-contained temporary accommodation in 2004–05 which do not meet the minimum physical standards proposed in his Department's 2003 consultation paper;
	(2)  if he will undertake a survey of homeless households in temporary accommodation.

Yvette Cooper: It is for local authorities to ensure that all temporary accommodation meets statutory standards. ODPM does not collect and has not made any estimate of the number which would meet the standards set out in its 2003 consultation paper.
	ODPM has recently commissioned nationally representative surveys of 2000 homeless families with children and 500 homeless 16–17 year olds.
	These surveys will investigate the causes of homelessness and the impact of living in temporary accommodation, in particular on the health and well-being of these households, and on children's education. The surveys will also investigate the impact of living in temporary accommodation on access to education, training and employment.
	The surveys will report early in the summer of 2006, and we anticipate the findings to be published in the autumn of 2006.

Homelessness

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to enable local authorities to discharge their duty to statutorily homeless households by providing an assured shorthold tenancy in the private rented sector.

Yvette Cooper: Local housing authorities can already discharge a duty to secure accommodation for a homeless household by arranging the provision of an assured shorthold tenancy in the private sector. The provision of such a tenancy can be used to provide temporary accommodation, pending the availability of settled accommodation. Moreover, where a main homelessness duty is owed to an applicant under section 193(2) of the Housing Act 1996, the offer of an assured shorthold tenancy will bring this duty to an end (as settled accommodation) if the offer is a qualifying offer and the applicant accepts the offer.
	In March this year, we published Sustainable Communities: settled homes; changing Lives", a strategy for tackling homelessness. This document set out our proposal to examine the options for making greater use of the private sector as a source of settled solutions for households accepted as homeless.

Homelessness

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what changes he plans to the definition of homelessness; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: There are currently no plans to change the statutory definition of homelessness, provided in section 175 of the Housing Act 1996.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently carrying out a review of homelessness statistics that it collects from local authorities, as announced in Sustainable Communities: Homes for All. A Five Year Plan from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister". This has included revising the layout of the quarterly statistical release to more clearly present the information collected on statutory homelessness. The first revised release was published on 13 June, containing statistics for the first quarter of 2005.

Homelessness

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the support his Department gives to temporary to permanent housing initiatives.

Yvette Cooper: We have provided funding, support and advice to a number of London boroughs and housing associations seeking to develop a range of temporary to permanent housing initiatives to capture the revenue flow as a longer term social housing asset. Those supported to date include: Newham's Local Space proposal; Ealing's Safe Haven partnership; L&Q Housing Trust's HILS programme; as well as a range of other buy to let programmes delivered by housing associations including Acton, Wandle and East Thames Housing Associations.
	We will continue to support innovative schemes which provide settled housing solutions for households in temporary accommodation. Where they offer value for money but require capital investment we will encourage regional housing boards to support bids for the Approved Development Programme funding.

Homelessness

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much funding each local authority in London has received from the homelessness directorate in each of the last five years to support local homelessness strategies.

Yvette Cooper: The following table indicates the amount of homelessness funding allocated to each local authority in London since 2002–03.
	
		
			  Homelessness grant paid Homelessness grant allocations 
			  for 2002–03 for 2003–04 for 2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 37,936 68,000 28,000 28,000 
			 Barnet 420,000 416,787 165,000 160,000 
			 Bexley 119,591 130,800 58,000 58,000 
			 Brent 1,969,910 1,423,000 783,000 740,000 
			 Bromley 242,000 183,500 100,000 100,000 
			 Camden 1,004,100 1,834,192 1,808,000 1,700,000 
			 City of London 18,000 656,000 515,000 265,000 
			 Croydon Council 1,596,495 1,104,000 600,000 500,000 
			 Ealing 1,535,156 1,224,608 600,000 600,000 
			 Enfield 588,676 491,376 250,000 250,000 
			 Greenwich 63,000 113,000 100,000 63,000 
			 Hackney 289,800 646,000 690,000 550,000 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,815,500 1,300,500 1,970,000 2,360,000 
			 Haringey 421,061 491,000 200,000 200,000 
			 Harrow 191,000 181,001 183,000 190,000 
			 Havering  26,966 27,000 27,000 
			 Hillingdon 920,226 779,712 80,000 80,000 
			 Hounslow 494,361 459,000 180,000 165,000 
			 Islington 306,000 162,091 357,000 325,000 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,252,118 1,565,511 943,000 875,000 
			 Kingston upon Thames 151,000 121,000 90,000 90,000 
			 Lambeth 1,082,631 1,119,293 2,100,000 2,000,000 
			 Lewisham 79,000 102,395 400,000 100,000 
			 Merton 116,500 75,000 80,000 80,000 
			 Newham 1,803,220 1,257,000 250,000 212,000 
			 Redbridge 458,245 292,000 105,000 100,000 
			 Richmond 116,365 386,576 295,000 295,000 
			 Southwark 518,040 996,508 1,453,000 1,050,000 
			 Sutton 240,222 192,999 150,000 115,000 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,173,800 838,950 800,000 1,735,000 
			 Waltham Forest 825,723 383,000 200,000 200,000 
			 Wandsworth 628,527 546,000 300,000 250,000 
			 Westminster 2,902,500 4,434,374 16,846,000 7,260,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.The allocation of homelessness grants to local authorities began in 2002–03, before this grants had been provided to voluntary sector agencies only.
	2.The figures for 2002–03 and 2003–04 reflect actual grant payments made, those for 2004–05 and 2005–06 are the allocations.
	3.The allocations for 2004–05 include capital grants.
	4.The allocations for 2005–06 include capital grants where these have been agreed, further capital grants may be allocated during the year as part of the hostels capital.

Homelessness

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what changes the Government have made to the eligibility of homeless people for accommodation since May 1997.

Yvette Cooper: This Government have made a number of changes to improve eligibility for homelessness assistance in England since May 1997.
	Under the homelessness legislation, eligible applicants must also be unintentionally homeless and have a priority need in order to be entitled to accommodation. In July 2002 we extended the priority need categories to include, broadly, young people aged 16 or 17, young people under 21 previously in care, applicants vulnerable as a result of time spent in care, in the armed forces, in prison or on remand, and applicants vulnerable as a result of fleeing their home because of violence. These changes have widened the homelessness safety net and ensure that more vulnerable homeless people are given the help they need.
	In most cases, the main duty to secure accommodation under the homelessness legislation is ended with the offer of a long-term social tenancy. Local authorities' allocation schemes for social housing must be framed so as to give reasonable preference to certain categories of applicant. In July 1997, we extended the reasonable preference categories to include people owed the main homelessness duties. This effectively restored the long-standing rights of people owed the main homelessness duties that had been removed by the Housing Act 1996. In 2002, the reasonable preference categories were revised and broadened to include people owed other homelessness duties and people who were homeless, whether owed a duty or not.
	A number of specific changes to the rules on eligibility have been made since 1997 in relation to people coming to England from abroad. These have included:
	exemptions from the requirement to be habitually resident in the common travel area (CTA) for people who left Montserrat because of the effect on that territory of a volcanic eruption,
	removal of eligibility for all asylum seekers who claimed asylum after 2 April 2000, when the National Asylum Support Service took on responsibility for providing asylum seekers with appropriate accommodation and support, and for nationals of countries that were signatories to, but which had not ratified, the European Convention on Social and Medical Assistance or the European Social Charter, and
	a number of changes in relation to habitual residence and eligibility for nationals of states in the European economic area (EEA) when the European Union was enlarged in May 2004.

Homelessness

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent estimate the Government have made of the level of hidden homelessness in England.

Yvette Cooper: Hidden homelessness is a subjective definition, varying between different agencies and individuals. We have a number of objective measures to identify and assess levels of homelessness and a range of wider housing needs which can be used to inform housing and homelessness strategies.
	PIE data records all decisions on households who apply to local housing authorities for homelessness assistance. This includes those who are found to be homeless (unintentionally or intentionally) and in priority need. It also includes those found not to be in priority need or not homeless. The data can be analysed, and are published quarterly, at national, regional and local authority levels. The total number of decisions on applications by authorities has been falling during 2004, indicating that fewer people are becoming homeless.
	Additionally, annual returns from local authorities identify the number of people who are literally roofless and sleeping rough on a single night, from local head counts or estimates. The number of people sleeping out on a single night has fallen by more than 70 per cent. since 1998.
	Through Supporting People we collect data on the number of people regarded by service providers as homeless or at risk of homelessness who are provided with housing related support.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister also collects a range of data on wider forms of housing need, including concealed households, overcrowding and households living in poor quality homes. These are reported in regular ODPM publications—the English House Condition Survey and the Survey of English Housing.
	At the local level, local authorities homelessness reviews—required to be undertaken every five years by the Homelessness Act 2002—should identify levels of all forms of homelessness in the local district and be used to inform a local homelessness strategy.

Homelessness

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what changes the Government have made to the methodology for calculating (a) priority homelessness, (b) rough sleeping and (c) homeless in temporary accommodation since May 1997.

Yvette Cooper: We have improved the amount of detailed information we collect on households in priority need and those in temporary accommodation, and have widened the categories of people given priority.
	We have made some minor technical changes to improve the accuracy of the regional and national estimates of households in priority need and households in temporary accommodation, to account for non-response and have taken further steps to improve the response rate, which now stands at over 95 per cent. each quarter.
	We have made no changes since 1997 to the methodology for calculating the number of rough sleepers. The most recent national figure of around 508 people sleeping rough on any one night (70 per cent. down on 1998) is based on a higher number of recent counts and less reliance on estimates than any previous national estimate and is therefore likely to be even more accurate.

Houses in Multiple Occupation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment the Government have made of the effect of the licensing of houses in multiple occupation on the buy to let housing market.

Yvette Cooper: The Government take the view that proportionate regulation of the private rented sector targeted at the properties most at risk will raise standards in the sector and lead to more investment. The Government have already undertaken to review the success of the licensing regime within the next three years. This will cover the effect on the buy to let market as well as other areas within the private rented sector.
	Investment in the private rented sector is however principally determined by the markets long term judgment of the returns expected from residential property.

Houses in Multiple Occupation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what criteria will be used to decide which rental properties in the private sector are subject to licensing for houses in multiple occupation.

Yvette Cooper: The Housing Act 2004 requires the mandatory licensing of larger, higher-risk housing of multiple occupation (HMOs). Following consultation, the Government have decided that this will cover privately rented HMOs of three or more storeys and occupied by five or more people who form two or more households. This decision was announced in a statement made by my right hon. Friend the former Minister for Housing and Planning on 6 April 2005.
	Local authorities will also have discretion to extend licensing to smaller privately rented HMOs in all, or part of their area, to address particular problems caused by the ineffective management of those HMOs. The use of this discretionary power is subject to consultation and requires confirmation or general approval by the Secretary of State.

Houses in Multiple Occupation

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1) whether the timetable for publication of the final Code of Guidance on minimum standards in temporary accommodation has changed; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the final date was for submissions to the consultation on the Code of Guidance on minimum standards in temporary accommodation;
	(3)  when he plans to publish the statutory Code of Guidance on standards in temporary accommodation for homeless households.

Yvette Cooper: In May 2003 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published a consultation paper on Improving standards of accommodation for homeless households placed in temporary accommodation." The consultation period ended on 5 August 2003. In November 2003 we announced the outcome of the consultation and our intention to revise the statutory Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities to restate existing minimum standards for temporary accommodation and set out additional standards for bed and breakfast hotels used as temporary accommodation. We plan to publish the revised Homelessness Code of Guidance in the autumn.

Houses in Multiple Occupation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent representations his Department has received from (a) landlord and (b) tenants' organisations on houses in multiple occupation licensing fees; and what response his Department has made.

Yvette Cooper: Representations have been received from a number of landlord and managing agent bodies following Ministers' decision not to use the powers in the Housing Act 2004 to cap fees charged for licensing. Discussions have already been held with these and other bodies to explain the background to this decision and to explore the extent to which it might be possible to fast track applications from landlords or agents who are members of local accreditation schemes or who might otherwise demonstrate their capacity to manage properties efficiently and effectively.
	In addition, there will be transitional arrangements that will allow landlords of properties registered under the Housing Act 1985 to be passported into licensing without charge for a period not exceeding the unexpired portion of their current registration. We expect these arrangements to lead to more constructive relations between landlords and local authorities as well as ensuring that fees are kept to an acceptable level.

Houses in Multiple Occupation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate his Department made for regulatory impact assessment purposes of the amount which would be raised by houses in multiple occupation licensing fees; what his Department's latest estimate is of that figure; and how each figure was calculated.

Yvette Cooper: The Regulatory Impact Assessment indicated that around 540,000 units would be licensable under mandatory houses in multiple occupation (HMO) licensing and the consultation paper Licensing in the Private Rented Sector: Consultation on the Implementation of HMO Licensing" had suggested that fee levels might be between £110 and £180 per unit but that the issue was still under consideration.
	These estimates were compiled following consultation with local government, taking into account a range of factors including experience in registering HMO's under the Housing Act 1985, as amended by the Housing Act 1996.

Houses in Multiple Occupation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what arrangements his Department has planned for ensuring houses in multiple occupation licence fees set by local authorities only recover costs; and when such arrangements will be in place.

Yvette Cooper: Section 63(7) of the Housing Act 2004 enables local housing authorities to have regard to the costs in carrying out the administration of the licensing scheme when fixing fees.
	We expect local authorities to establish a coherent and transparent fee structure that is set up in time for the commencement of the licensing provisions, intended for October 2005, which must operate within and in accordance with the CIPFA accountancy framework.

Housing

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2005, Official Report, columns 1306–07W, on housing, what the process will be for the Examination in Public of the East of England Regional Spatial Strategy; in which areas it will operate; and how the process will be publicised.

Yvette Cooper: The Examination in Public (EiP) provides an opportunity for discussion and testing of matters selected by the EiP panel in order to test the soundness of the Regional Spatial Strategy. The panel conducting the EiP has identified those matters which it considers need to be debated and those stakeholders that it intends to invite to take part in the debate. The list of matters and participants has been subject to public consultation and the panel are currently considering the results of that consultation. The panel will publish a revised list of matters and participants on or before the 19 July.
	The EiP will be held, in public, at The Maltings, Ely, Cambridgeshire. The process has been publicised in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Regional Planning) (England) Regulations 2004.
	Future information regarding the EiP will be published on panel's web pages, which are being hosted on the Go-East website:
	http://www.goeast.gov.uk/goeast/planning/regional_planning/rss_eip_panel_sec/

Housing

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2005, Official Report, columns 1306–07W, on housing, over what period the Examination in Public of the East of England Regional Spatial Strategy home building targets will take place; and when he expects the outcome of that examination to be published.

Yvette Cooper: The Examination in Public (EiP) is currently scheduled to commence on 14 September and run until 16 December 2005. The East of England regional assembly has recently requested a deferral of the opening of the EiP until 1 November. The panel is expected to report to my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, the First Secretary of State within three to four months, depending upon the complexity of the issues.

Housing

Lynne Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) permanent tenancy and (b) introductory tenancy homes have been allocated to new tenants by (i)Birmingham city council and (ii) registered social landlords in Birmingham; and how many were allocated to households accepted as homeless and in (A) priority need and (B) non-priority need in each of the last 10 years.

Yvette Cooper: Information on the number of lettings to new tenants made by Birmingham city council on a (a) secure (permanent) and (b) introductory basis and the number of these lettings made to homeless households in priority need are given in table 1. Although local authorities have a discretionary housing duty to homeless households not in priority need information on these lettings is not held centrally.
	Information on the number of lettings to new tenants made by registered social landlords (RSLs) in the Birmingham city council area; on a (a) secure (permanent) and (b) introductory basis and the number of these lettings made to homeless households both in priority need and not in priority need are given in table 2.
	
		Table 1: Lettings made by Birmingham city council to new tenants
		
			Of which: 
			  Total To homeless households in priority need 
			  Secure Introductory Secure Introductory 
		
		
			 1995–96 9,251 — 3,553 — 
			 1996–97 9,361 0 3,258 0 
			 1997–98 9,329 0 4,450 0 
			 1998–99 8,737 0 3,294 0 
			 1999–2000 2,426 5,456 1,252 1,842 
			 2000–01 0 7,729 0 3,297 
			 2001–02 0 5,567 0 3,329 
			 2002–03 0 5,383 0 3,702 
			 2003–04 0 4,652 0 3,385 
			 2004–05 (17)— (17)— (17)— (17)— 
		
	
	(17)Data not yet available
	Note:
	Introductory tenancies were established in late 1996–97, and usually lead to a secure tenancy after a trial period.
	Source:
	ODPM's Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns
	
		Table 2: Lettings to new tenants made by registered social landlords in the Birmingham city council area
		
			Of which:  
			To homeless households 
			  Total In priority need Not in priority need 
			  Permanent Starter Permanent Starter Permanent Starter 
		
		
			 1995–96 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1996–97 3,725 0 508 0 159 0 
			 1997–98 4,133 0 291 0 220 0 
			 1998–99 4,148 0 340 0 122 0 
			 1999–2000 4,032 0 250 0 81 0 
			 2000–01 3,844 33 183 2 90 0 
			 2001–02 3,818 42 284 l 73 1 
			 2002–03 3,656 122 275 12 98 6 
			 2003–04 2,999 240 251 11 117 5 
			 2004–05 (18)— (18)— (18)— (18)— (18)— (18)— 
		
	
	(18)Data not yet available
	Notes:
	1.Permanent tenancies have been defined as Fair rent or secure", Assured" and Assured shorthold"
	2.In priority need are those homeless households owed a main duty and nominated by a local authority
	3.Not in priority need are those homeless households not owed a main duty but nominated by a local authority
	Source:
	Housing Corporation's CORE returns

Housing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of councils that have completed their stock options appraisal have decided in favour of council retention of homes.

Yvette Cooper: Of the 84 local authorities that have had their stock options appraisal signed off by the relevant Government Office, 27—or 32 per cent.—have opted to retain ownership and direct management of all or some of their homes.

Housing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which councils have not yet submitted a stock options appraisal; and whether he expects that all councils will meet the July deadline.

Yvette Cooper: A list of local authorities that have yet to have a stock options appraisal signed off by the relevant Government Office has been placed in the Libraries of the House. Four authorities have indicated to us that they will not meet the deadline of the end of July.

Housing Corporation Approved Development Programme

Dari Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many affordable housing units built or procured through (a) the Housing Corporation Approved Development programme and (b) the Challenge Fund were (i) mixed funded social rented housing, (ii)temporary social rented housing, (iii) homebuy general market purchase, (iv) homebuy general new build, (v) mixed funded low cost home ownership for sale, (vi) miscellaneous works to registered social landlord (RSL) stock, (vii) reimprovements to rented RSL stock, (viii) works only rehabilitation of rented RSL stock, (ix) works only rehabilitation of RSL stock for sale, (x) intermediate rent for key workers, (xi)homebuy market purchase for key workers, (xii)homebuy new build for key workers, (xiii) mixed funded sale for key workers and (xiv) starter home initiative in the north-east region in each year since 1997–98; and how much was spent on each category in each year.

Yvette Cooper: The following tables show completions and expenditure through the Housing Corporation Approved Development Programme (ADP), for categories from (i) to (ix). The information in the tables does not include all programmes that the ADP is used for and therefore does not represent the total funding for the north-east region.
	The Starter Home Initiative, the Challenge Fund and the Key Worker Living programme were limited to London and the wider south-east, therefore there are no completions or investment for these initiatives in the north-east region.
	Funding and completions are not directly comparable, as funding will relate to projects running, not necessarily units completed, in any one year.
	
		Completions in units for the north-east region from 1997–98 to 2004–05 -- Units completed
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 (i) Mixed funded Social Rent 1,215 965 758 540 680 355 583 612 
			 (ii) Temporary Social Rented Housing 39 9 2 10 0 0 0 0 
			 (iii) Homebuy market purchase 0 0 0 18 11 8 3 3 
			 (iv) Homebuy New Build n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 
			 (v) Mixed-funded Low Cost Home Ownership 164 130 87 93 110 6 21 88 
			 (vi) Miscellaneous Works n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 (vii) Re-improvements to rented RSL stock n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 (viii) Works-only re-hab for rented RSL stock n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 (ix) Works only re-hab of RSL stock for sale n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	Note:
	Miscellaneous works, re-improvements to rented RSL stock, works only rehabilitation of rented RSL stock and works only rehabilitation of RSL stock for sale are not recorded as completed dwellings as they may have previously received funding and would therefore be double counted.
	
		Expenditure for the north-east region from 1997–98 to 2004–05 -- £ million
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 (i) Mixed funded Social Rent 17.08 15.55 15.72 16.14 18.65 19.60 34.94 35.37 
			 (ii) Temporary Social Housing 0.20 0.08 0.89 0.07 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 (iii) Homebuy market purchase 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.24 0.13 0.12 0.52 0.74 
			 (iv) Homebuy New Build n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0.00 
			 (v) Mixed-funded Low Cost Home Ownership 2.03 1.69 1.27 1.07 0.83 0.32 1.47 1.16 
			 (vi) Miscellaneous Works 0.82 0.63 0.48 1.22 1.50 1.43 1.28 0.17 
			 (vii) Re-improvements to rented RSL stock 0.00 0.00 0.51 0.63 0.87 0.42 2.93 2.79 
			 (viii) Works-only re-hab for rented RSL stock 0.50 0.26 0.04 0.49 0.33 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 (ix) Works only re-hab of RSL stock for sale 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
		
	
	Source:
	Housing Corporation

Local Authorities

Greg Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the Government's policy is on call-in arrangements for executive decisions made by local authorities.

Phil Woolas: The statutory guidance that the Government have issued under the Local Government Act 2000 includes guidance on the call-in of executive decisions, in particular that the arrangements for call-in should ensure that there is an appropriate balance between effectively holding the executive to account, being able to question decisions before they are implemented, and allowing effective and efficient decision making by the executive within the policy framework and budget agreed by the full council.

Local Authorities

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the consent regimes for local authorities that are administered by the Government Offices for the Regions.

Yvette Cooper: Of the 196 consent regimes identified by the Efficiency Scrutiny of Central Consent Regimes for Local Authorities in 1997, those still in place that are administered by the Government Offices are tabled as follows.
	Following the Efficiency Scrutiny, we announced in 2002 a programme to deregulate consent powers. We have so far deregulated 63 powers and have plans to deregulate a further 28.
	
		
			 Legislative reference Description 
		
		
			 Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, ss.53–54 and Sch.14 Confirming orders amending definitive maps. Consent administered by the GOs in certain circumstances. 
			 Highways Act 1980, ss.26(l) 118, 118A, 119 and 119A. Town and Country Planning Act 1990, ss.257–258 and 261(2). Confirming public path orders and orders to extinguish or divert footpaths or bridle-ways to enable development. Consent administered by the GOs in certain circumstances. 
			 Third schedule of the model form of tree preservation order in Town and Country Planning (Tree Preservation Order) Regulations 1969 Confirming orders revoking or modifying previous consents granted under tree preservation orders. Consent regime removed in relation to all tree preservation orders made by local authorities since August 1999. Power retained for orders that were made before that date. 
			 Town and Country Planning Act 1990. ss59 et al, as amended by Planning and Compensation Act 1991. Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (SI 1995 No. 418) Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995 (SI 1995 No. 419) A power ('Article 4 Direction') to consent to withdrawal of permitted development rights. 
			 Town and County Planning Act 1990, ss 97 and 98 and 102 Three powers to confirm various orders revoking, modifying or otherwise affecting existing planning permissions or existing uses of land or existing buildings or works. 
			 Allotments Act 1925, s8 A power to consent to the sale or appropriation of statutory allotment land, or its use for other purposes 
			 City of London Various Powers Act 1963 s.33 Restricting vehicle access in London. Administered by GOL only. 
			 City of London Various Powers Act 1967 s.6 and Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1969 s.11 Provision and declaration of walkways in London. Administered by GOL only. 
			 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 s.65 (as amended by Sch. 8 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991) Authorising traffic signs not specified in regulations. A minority of cases are delegated to GOs. The consent has been considerably deregulated through Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 which allow traffic authorities to use many signs without special authorisation. 
			 Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, ss 23 and 24 Confirming orders revoking or modifying listed building consent Consent predominantly administered by the GOs. 
			 Highways Act 1980 s.106 and s.l08–110 Construction of bridges/tunnels on navigable waters/ to divert a non-navigable watercourse. Consent administered by GOs in relation to local authority roads, but by DfT in relation to Highways Agency trunk roads. 
			 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, Sch.9 (13–14) Highways Act 1980, ss. 124–125 Traffic Regulation Orders limiting vehicle access to premises and stopping up private access. 
			 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s.9 Extending experimental Traffic Regulation Orders in London. Administered by GOL only. 
			 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s.15 Extension of temporary orders. 
			 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, S.16B (inserted by Road Traffic (Special Events) Act 1994) Special events order. 
			 Highways Act 1980, s. 14 and 18 Confirming orders stopping up or diverting right of way for alterations to side roads (SROs). 
			 Town and Country Planning Act 1990, s.247, 248 and 249 Stopping or diverting highways in connection with development/amenity improvement. 
			 Local Government Act 1985, s.5 Determining an inter-authority dispute over a permanent order. 
			 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s.40(3) Provision of off-street parking for over 12 months on land compulsorily acquired for another purpose.

Local Authorities

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many councils voted against transferring their stock to a registered social landlord; and how much funding in the Housing Revenue Account subsidy was reallocated to other areas as a result.

Yvette Cooper: Since 1997, tenants in 26 authorities have voted against transfer to a registered social landlord.
	Whether or not an individual authority transfers its stock to a registered social landlord has no impact on the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy entitlement of other authorities.

Local Government Finance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the level of cash reserves is in each London borough.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The level of cash backed reserves split by revenue reserves and accumulated capital receipts in each London borough at 1 April 2005 is shown in the following table.
	
		Level of cash backed reserves split by revenue reserves and accumulated capital receipts in each London borough at1 April 2005 -- £000
		
			  Revenue reserves Accumulated capital receipts Total 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 40,390 98,752 139,142 
			 Barnet 16,525 0 16,525 
			 Bexley 40,979 1,895 42,874 
			 Brent 12,637 0 12,637 
			 Bromley 62,016 2,890 64,906 
			 Camden 83,196 0 83,196 
			 City of London 125,369 59,460 184,829 
			 Croydon 14,370 7,700 22,070 
			 Ealing 15,129 0 15,129 
			 Enfield 40,868 22,493 63,361 
			 Greenwich 66,018 3,586 69,604 
			 Hackney 71,587 33,220 104,807 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 46,803 2,959 49,762 
			 Haringey 59,608 6,234 65,842 
			 Harrow 17,703 0 17,703 
			 Havering 23,277 35,879 59,156 
			 Hillingdon 15,993 10,265 26,258 
			 Hounslow 13,489 3,272 16,761 
			 Islington 48,385 28,836 77,221 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 113,858 182 114,040 
			 Kingston upon Thames 14,762 1,533 16,295 
			 Lambeth 28,846 0 28,846 
			 Lewisham 45,013 6,121 51,134 
			 Merton 10,039 0 10,039 
			 Newham 39,452 0 39,452 
			 Redbridge 25,268 8,921 34,189 
			 Richmond upon Thames 37,082 11,286 48,368 
			 Southwark 34,275 44,522 78,797 
			 Sutton 17,926 0 17,926 
			 Tower Hamlets 76,000 9,000 85,000 
			 Waltham Forest 28,628 7,040 35,668 
			 Wandsworth 26,398 0 26,398 
			 Westminster 41,297 172 41,469 
		
	
	Sources:
	ODPM Revenue Account (RA) Budget returns 2005–06
	ODPM Capital Estimates Return (CER) 2005–06

Merseyside Market Renewals

Frank Field: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost has been in fees paid for assessing local views in the three market renewal areas of Merseyside; which firms were involved; in which areas they operated; and what fees have been paid to each.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mobile Phone Masts/Technology

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what restrictions there are on the erection of mobile phone masts in close proximity to schools.

Yvette Cooper: Mobile phone mast and base station developments near schools are subject to the normal planning regulations in place throughout England, unless exempted by the regulations set out in part 24 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (GPDO). The planning arrangements for telecommunications developments were significantly strengthened in 2001 and include improved requirements for consulting local people about mast proposals. The changes to the GPDO were underpinned by revised guidance, set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 8, Telecommunications. The changes to the planning guidance also underlined that school governors must be consulted on all proposals for new masts on or near a school or college.

Mobile Phone Masts/Technology

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will restrict the number of phone masts which are permitted to be erected in a particular area.

Yvette Cooper: Government policy, set out in planning policy guidance note 8 on Telecommunications, states the importance of keeping the numbers of radio and telecommunications masts and of the sites for such installations to the minimum consistent with the efficient operation of the network.
	Parliament has given local planning authorities the responsibility for development control in their areas. The Secretary of State does not seek to interfere with the jurisdiction of local planning authorities unless it is necessary to do so.

Mobile Phone Masts/Technology

Paul Burstow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what topics will be covered by the research commissioned by his Department into the future direction of mobile phone technology; what the timetable for the research is including (a) the date on which the research was commissioned, (b) when the research commenced, (c) what interim reports will be submitted, (d) when the research findings and recommendations will be submitted to Ministers and (e) when and how the research will be made public; what the estimated cost of research is; and who is conducting the research.

Yvette Cooper: On 4 April I announced the Government's intention to commission further research to identify the future direction of mobile phone technology and the future need for mast developments. Officials from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have discussed these research proposals with other departments and research institutions and are currently preparing a specification. These studies form part of a wider programme of work around planning arrangements for telecommunication masts.

Mobile Phone Masts/Technology

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate the Government have made of the number of 3G mobile phone masts that will be erected to provide service for the new 3G licences.

Yvette Cooper: There are approximately 45,000 base stations across the country at present for all mobile phone network operators, this includes 2G and 3G networks. The licences to operate 3G networks require that 80 per cent. of the population will have access to the network by the end of 2007. The mobile phone operators have estimated that in total 50,000 base stations will be required.

Planning Appeals (London)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out for each of the last five years for each London borough the number of planning appeals (a) for non-determination by the planning authority and (b) against a refusal that were (i) determined by written representations and (ii) determined by public inquiry setting out how many in each case were (A) granted permission and (B) not granted permission.

Yvette Cooper: The tables which give the information requested have been made available in the Libraries of the House. Please note that any London borough not appearing in a table did not have any planning appeal decisions issued in that particular financial year determined by written representation or public inquiry procedure, as appropriate.

Social Housing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many social homes in each local authority in England did not meet the Decent Homes Standard (a) in 1997, (b) in 2001 and (c) on the latest date for which figures are available; how much has been spent on improvements; and what the estimated cost is of bringing all remaining social homes up to the standard.

Yvette Cooper: Local authorities have provided information about the number of homes they own that do not meet the standard as part of their Business Plan Statistical Appendix Annual Monitoring Form since 2001. These are available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at:
	http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_control/documents/contentservertemplate/odpm_index.hcst?n=l092&1–4.
	Registered social landlords have provided information on the number of homes they own that do not meet the standard in Part Q of their annual Regulatory Survey Returns since 2002, although it was not mandatory to provide this information until 2003. These are available on the RSR website at:
	http://www.rsrsurvey.co.uk/index.cfm?task=prevYearsData
	Since 1997, £21 billion has been spent on improvements to social sector stock, and we estimate that this will have increased to £42 billion by 2010.

Social Housing

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average cost per household in England was of social housing rent in the last year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: The average weekly social rent in England in April 2004 was £55.05.

Special Advisers

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list (a) the special advisers in his Department, (b) their specific areas of expertise and (c) the total cost of employing them in the latest year for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 4 July 2005, Official Report, column 36W.

Statistical Datasets

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the statistical datasets his Department (a) holds and (b) collects containing data at local authority level.

Phil Woolas: The regular data collection returns submitted by some or all local authorities to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are as follows:
	
		Data collection returns
		
			 Title Description 
		
		
			 RA, SG BID General Fund Revenue Accounts—Budgets and Grants 2005–06 Business Improvement District Revenue Account transactions -2005–06 
			 RO Revenue Outturn suite 2004–05 
			 QRW Quarterly Return of Wages and Salaries, Interest Receipts and Payments 2005–06 
			 MB Monthly Borrowing and Lending 2005–06 (Authorities in monthly sample only) 
			 QB Quarterly Borrowing and Lending 2005–06 (All authorities not in the monthly sample) 
			 CER Capital Estimates 2005–06 
			 CPR Capital Payments and Receipts 1–3 for 2005–06 But also CPR4 for 2005–06 
			 COR Capital Outturn Suite 2004–05 
			 COR1/2 Capital Expenditure and Receipts 
			 COR3 Supplementary Return—Personal Social Services 
			 COR4 Financing of Capital Payments and Capital Account Summary 
			 COR5 Supplementary Return 
			 CFR Capital Forecast 2005–06 
			 WGA Whole of Government Accounts 2004–05 
			 SF3 Pension Funds Account 2004–05 (Pension authorities only) 
			 QRC 1–3 Quarterly Council Tax and NDR collection 2005–06 
			 QRC4 Quarterly Council Tax and NDR collection 2005–06 
			 BR1–3 Budget Requirement 2005–06 
			 NNDR1 Contributions to Non-Domestic Rates Pool—provisional 2005–06 
			 NNDR2 Downward Recalculation to one Provisional Contribution to Pool 2005–06 
			 NNDR3 Contributions to Non-Domestic Rates Pool—Outturn 2004–05 
			 CTB Council Tax Base as at November 2005 
			 CTBls Council Tax Base Supplementary as at November 2005 
			 P1A/B Quarterly Housing Monitoring return 
			 PIE Quarterly Households dealt with under the homelessness provisions of the 1996 Housing Act quarterly return. 
			 PIE AS (Annual Supplement) Households dealt with under the homelessness provisions of the 1996 Housing Act annual supplement return. 
			 P1EQS (Quarterly Supplement) Households dealt with under the homelessness provisions of the 1996 Housing Act quarterly supplement return. 
			 P2Q House building quarterly return. 
			 HFR Housing Flows Reconciliation return. 
			 HSSA Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix 
			 BPSA (AM) Business Plan Statistical Appendix Annual Monitoring 
			 BPSA (FP) Business Plan Statistical Appendix Future Plan 
			   
			 Best value performance indicators: 
			 BVPI3 Overall satisfaction with the authority as a whole 
			 BVPI4 Satisfaction with complaints handling (of those making complaints) 
			 BVPI89 Satisfaction with cleanliness of public land 
			 BVPI90a Satisfaction with household waste collection 
			 BVPI90b Satisfaction with waste recycling (local facilities) 
			 BVPI90c Satisfaction with waste disposal (local tips) 
			 BVPI103 Satisfaction with transport information 
			 BVPI104 Satisfaction with bus services 
			 BVPI119a Satisfaction with sports and leisure facilities 
			 BVPI119b Satisfaction with libraries 
			 BVPI119c Satisfaction with museums/galleries 
			 BVPI119d Satisfaction with theatres/concert halls 
			 BVPI119e Satisfaction with parks and open spaces 
			   
			 FDR1 Primary fires, incidents attended, detailed description 
			 FDR3 Secondary fires, monthly aggregate 
			 Fire and Rescue Service Operational Statistics Staffing, vehicles inspections, health and safety 
			 NLUD-PDL Previously developed land 
			 LUCS Land use changes 
			 NNDR3 National Non-Domestic Rates Return 3—Appendix E 
			 PS1 Planning applications: received, withdrawn, determinations, enforcement 
			 PS2 Planning applications: refused/granted, speed of determination 
			 CPS1/2 Planning applications: waste disposal, mineral extraction 
			 Survey of land for mineral working Area of land with planning permission for mineral extraction or associated tipping 
			 Minerals development plans Progress in development plans by minerals and waste planning authorities 
			 The Building Control Monitoring Charges Total charges income received (excluding VAT), total cost/expenditure incurred and surplus/deficit 
			 Monitoring Returns (LSVT) Monitoring and evaluation information on large scale voluntary transfer of dwelling stock 
			 Monitoring Returns (ALMO) Monitoring and evaluation information on arms length management organisations set up by local authorities to manage their dwelling stock 
			 Monitoring Returns (PFI) Monitoring and evaluation of Public Finance Initiative (PFI) schemes 
		
	
	The principal datasets held at local authority level are as follows:
	General Fund Revenue Accounts—Budgets and Grants from 1990–91
	Business Improvement District Revenue Account transactions—2005–06
	Revenue Outturn from 1990–91:
	Quarterly Wages and Salaries, Interest Receipts and Payments from 1993–94
	Monthly Borrowing and Lending from 1990–91 (Authorities in monthly sample only)
	Quarterly Borrowing and Lending from 1993–94 (All authorities not in the monthly sample)
	Capital Estimates 2005–06
	Capital Payments and Receipts 1–3 for 2005–06 and also CPR4 for 2005–06
	Capital Outturn Suite 2004–05
	Capital Expenditure and Receipts
	Supplementary Return—Personal Social Services
	Financing of Capital Payments and Capital Account Summary
	Supplementary Return
	Capital Forecast 2005–06
	Pension Funds Account 2004–05 (Pension authorities only)
	Quarterly Council Tax and NDR from 1990–91
	Quarterly Council Tax and NDR from 1990–91
	Budget Requirement from 1994–95
	Contributions to Non-Domestic Rates Pool—provisional from 1990–91
	Downward Recalculation to one Provisional Contribution to Pool from 1990–91
	Contributions to Non-Domestic Rates Pool—Outturn from 1990–91
	Council Tax Base as at November from 1993–94
	Council Tax Base Supplementary as at November from 2001–02
	Quarterly Housing Monitoring information
	Local authority rents, by district, from 1996
	RSL rents, by district, from 1997
	Mean house prices based on Land Registry data, by district, from 1996(quarterly)
	Median house prices based on Land Registry data, by district, from 1996 (quarterly)
	Lower quartile house prices based on Land Registry data, by district, from 1996
	Property sales based on Land Registry data, by district, from 1996
	Permanent dwellings started and completed, by tenure and district, 2003–04
	Local authorities' action under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 and 1996 Housing Acts, by district
	Sales of dwellings owned by local authorities, by district, from 2002–03
	RSL stock, by district, from 1997
	Local authority stock, by district, from 1996
	Best Value Performance Indicators:
	Overall satisfaction with the authority as a whole
	Satisfaction with complaints handling (of those making complaints)
	Satisfaction with cleanliness of public land
	Satisfaction with household waste collection
	Satisfaction with waste recycling (local facilities)
	Satisfaction with waste disposal (local tips)
	Satisfaction with transport information
	Satisfaction with bus services
	Satisfaction with sports and leisure facilities
	Satisfaction with libraries
	Satisfaction with museums/galleries
	Satisfaction with theatres/concert halls
	Satisfaction with parks and open spaces
	Fire and Rescue Services: Primary fires, incidents attended, detailed description
	Fire and Rescue Services: Secondary fires, monthly aggregate
	Fire and Rescue Services: Operational Statistics: staffing, vehicles, inspections, health and safety
	National land use database of previously developed land
	Land use changes
	Floorspace statistics (industrial and commercial property)
	Planning applications: received, withdrawn, determinations, enforcement
	Planning applications: refused/granted, speed of determination by development type of application
	Planning applications: waste disposal, mineral extraction
	Area of land with planning permission for mineral extraction or associated tipping classified by type of mineral, the area of land being worked, restored or as yet unworked
	Progress in development plans by minerals and waste planning authorities
	Building control charges: total charges income received (excluding VAT), total cost/expenditure incurred and surplus/deficit
	Monitoring and evaluation information on large scale voluntary transfer of dwelling stock
	Monitoring and evaluation information on arms length management organisations set up by local authorities to manage their dwelling stock
	Monitoring and evaluation information on Public Finance Initiative (PFI) schemes
	ODPM also possess a range of Local Authority level data containing information collected by other Government Departments and Agencies (e.g. Census data).

Telephone Boxes (London)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many public telephone boxes have been removed in each London borough in each of the last five years; and what the most recent figures are for the total numbers of public telephone boxes in each borough.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister do not hold the information requested centrally and it could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Tenants' Rights

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to promote methods for tenants to obtain equity stakes in their homes.

Yvette Cooper: We have set out proposals for a social homebuy scheme, which would provide new opportunities for social tenants to buy a share of their rented home, in our consultation document Homebuy—Expanding the Opportunity to Own" (a copy of which is available from the Library of the House).
	Under our proposals, participating social tenants would buy at least 50 per cent. (or as large a share as they could afford) of their home's discounted value using any savings they have and/or a mortgage. We are consulting on two options for applying a monthly charge, similar to social rent, on the outstanding share: under one, this rent would apply to the entire outstanding share; under the other, this rent would only apply to outstanding shares worth more than 25 per cent. of the equity.
	Consultation will close on 24 June. We intend to announce decisions in the autumn after considering responses, and to put new arrangements in place by April 2006.

Under-occupation (Brent)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact of the London borough of Brent's policy of offering financial incentives to under-occupying tenants willing to move to smaller accommodation.

Yvette Cooper: Local authorities are responsible for developing a strategy for tackling housing issues in their area. Careful consideration needs to be given to the role provision of assistance to existing tenants to help them move to other accommodation, in either the social or private sector, might play.
	In deciding their general policy on assistance, authorities need to be clear when giving financial support that it will be used in obtaining suitable alternative long-term accommodation, that it represents good value for money and impacts on reducing housing pressures.

University Accommodation

Jim Cousins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what decision has been made on whether accommodation (a) owned, (b) managed and (c) leased on behalf of universities and further education institutions will be exempt from the provisions of the Housing Act 2004.

Yvette Cooper: Regulations may be made specifying that certain accommodation managed by universities or other higher education establishments are not houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) for any purposes of the Housing Act 2004 (except part 1), and therefore not subject to the HMO licensing requirements. When deciding whether to exempt such accommodation from the licensing requirements, regard may be had to the extent to which the establishment is in conformity with any approved code of management practice.
	Discussions with Universities UK and the Accreditation Network UK are well advanced on finalising the provisions of such a code, and compliance with it, by the end of July. This will enable any exceptions from HMO licensing to be in place when, as expected, the licensing provisions come into force in October.

CABINET OFFICE

Special Advisers

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list (a) the special advisers in his Department, (b) their specific areas of expertise and (c) the total cost of employing them in the latest year for which figures are available.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the response given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 4 July 2005, Official Report, column 36W.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the social and political situation in Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: Everyday life for ordinary Afghans is continuing to improve. A nationwide development programme to support rural infrastructure has been established in over 3,500 communities across 31 provinces. 5.5 million children returned to school by March 2004 and over a third of Afghan schoolchildren are now girls. 72 hospitals, clinics and women's health care centres have been rebuilt. A vaccination campaign has almost eradicated polio and over 11 million children have been immunised against measles. A programme of water chlorination and well reconstruction is tackling water-borne diseases across the country.
	Politically, the presidential election held in October 2004 was a tremendous success for the Afghan people. 70 per cent. of Afghans eligible to vote turned out, 40 per cent. of them women. Good progress is being made in preparations for the parliamentary and provincial elections scheduled for 18 September, with over 6,000 candidates and around 70 political parties registered to take part. A month-long voter registration programme launched on 25 June will update the electoral roll from the presidential election by some two million voters who were either not eligible or did not register in 2004.

Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the effectiveness of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention will next be reviewed.

Kim Howells: States Party to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention agreed at the Fifth Review Conference that the next review of the Convention would be before the end of 2006. No specific dates have yet been agreed by States Party.

Correspondence

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Sunderland, South of 13 May on behalf of a constituent, Cheryl Dennison.

Ian Pearson: I replied to my hon. Friend on 4 July.

Departmental Expenditure

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what expenditure his Department has incurred in pursuit of its Objective 4: A strong role for the UK in a strong Europe, responsive to people's needs in each of the last five years, broken down by area of expenditure.

Douglas Alexander: Annual expenditure information, broken down by objective, is published annually in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's resource accounts and departmental report. Expenditure by objective is listed in Schedule 5 of the resource accounts and in the appendices of the departmental report.
	Copies of both publications are available in the Library of the House.

Embassies

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff are employed at each of the British embassies in the European Union; how many are employed at the British embassy in (a) Turkey, (b) Bulgaria and (c) Romania; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The number of staff employed at the British embassies in the EU and in Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Austria 72 
			 Belgium 72 
			 Cyprus 74 
			 Czech Republic 70 
			 Denmark 64 
			 Estonia 24 
			 Finland 48 
			 France 230 
			 Germany 132 
			 Greece 103 
			 Hungary 83 
			 Ireland 72 
			 Italy 147 
			 Latvia 34 
			 Lithuania 33 
			 Luxembourg 15 
			 Malta 48 
			 Netherlands 72 
			 Poland 105 
			 Portugal 64 
			 Slovakia 31 
			 Slovenia 26 
			 Spain 138 
			 Sweden 60 
		
	
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Turkey 98 
			 Bulgaria 84 
			 Romania 94

English Wine

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that English wine is served (a) exclusively and (b) at the request of guests at receptions hosted by his Department during the EU presidency; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: My officials have included in their planning the provision of British food and wine at presidency-related receptions hosted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office during the six months of the presidency. We are aiming to serve British food and wine wherever possible

EU Lobby Groups

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on EU funding of lobby groups; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: European Union institutions are responsible for their own activities. EU grants are awarded through a transparent call for proposals or through the EU budget which is available for public scrutiny. Further details can be obtained from the UK Representations of the European Union's Institutions, contact details of which can be found at www.europe.eu.int

EU Presidency

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there are plans to increase the (a) budget and (b) staff of the Office of the President of the EU in 2005–06.

Douglas Alexander: This is a matter for the Council Secretariat. The EU budget is available for public scrutiny at:
	http://europa.eu.int/eur-ex/lex/JOHtml.do?uri=OJ:L:2005:060: SOM:EN:HTML

EU Presidency

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which EU (a) directives and (b) regulations the UK will seek to repeal during its presidency.

Douglas Alexander: Advancing the Better Regulation Agenda is a priority during the UK presidency of the EU. We are committed to working with the Commission, European Parliament and member states, who have all pledged to reduce the volume and burden of EU legislation.
	Last week, Commission President Barroso announced that the Commission is looking at over 200 pending proposals which may be amended or withdrawn if they are not consistent with Lisbon economic reform goals. During our presidency, we shall continue to contribute actively to both this initiative and the EU's ongoing programme for simplifying existing legislation.

EU Presidency

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are under the UK presidency to develop the Dutch system of deregulation in the EU.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 4 July 2005
	I refer the hon. Member to the White Paper on the UK's Presidency of the European Union (Cm 6611). We are committed to working with other member states and the EU institutions to develop and share best practice on implementing the Better Regulation Agenda, including work on measuring administrative burdens as developed by the Dutch Government. In May, 11 member states, including the UK, signed a joint letter to the Commission pressing for further EU-level action in this area.

EU Presidency

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals for deregulation in the EU he expects the UK to table under its presidency.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 4 July 2005
	Progress on the Better Regulation Agenda is a priority for our EU presidency. I refer the hon. Member to the White Paper on the UK's Presidency of the European Union (Cm 6611) and to my reply to him today (UIN 8875).

EU Presidency

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many directives he expects to be agreed during the UK's presidency of the EU.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 4 July 2005
	As presidency we will seek to take forward the inherited legislative agenda and make progress on a number of dossiers. Where negotiations in the Council and Parliament indicate that consensus on a particular dossier is possible, we will seek agreement. It is not possible to predict how many dossiers will be agreed at this stage. We will want to ensure that the Union's legislative action is consistent with the Better Regulation Agenda.

EU Summit (Sheffield)

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total cost, including policing costs, was of the recent EU summit on Justice and Home Affairs held in Sheffield.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 28 June 2005
	I have been asked to reply.
	It is not possible to provide final figures for those costs directly attributable to the Home Office as not all invoices have been received.
	The current estimate is £880,000.With respect to policing costs, the force's current estimate of cost is £1.5 million.

EU Travel Ban

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list individuals subject to an EU travel ban who have been permitted entry into the EU in the last three years.

Kim Howells: The Government are not able to provide such a list, as the EU does not maintain information on individuals subject to travel bans who have been permitted entry into the EU.

European Constitution

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those countries that have declared that they will continue the ratification process for the EU constitution.

Douglas Alexander: Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Cyprus, Estonia and the Czech Republic intend to proceed with their ratification processes for the EU constitutional treaty. The Irish Government have announced that they will not set a date for their referendum. Poland have not decided how, if at all, to proceed with ratification and the Polish President has said that a referendum in 2005 looks unrealistic". The Swedish Government have announced that it will seek to postpone its parliamentary ratification process and the Finnish Government have already postponed parliamentary ratification. The Danish and Portuguese Governments have postponed their referendums.

European Constitution

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the consequences under Article IV-443(4) of the proposed EU constitution of 20 countries ratifying the constitution.

Douglas Alexander: The operation of the article in question is explained in the commentary on the EUconstitutional treaty published on 26 January (Cm6459).

European Constitution

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on planned expenditure in support of the public information campaign in connection with the European constitution.

Douglas Alexander: In line with previous activity, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office leads the Government's campaign to provide public information in connection with the European Union. Apart from those relating to the UK's presidency of the EU, no final decisions have yet been made on general EU communications activities for financial year 2005–06.

Haiti

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role the Government will play in supporting efforts to hold free and fair elections in Haiti; and whether the Government are planning to send representatives with the EU election observing team to be present during the elections.

Douglas Alexander: We are contributing to the international community's efforts to assist the Transitional Government in providing the necessary conditions for free and fair elections in late 2005. The UK contributes 7.43 per cent. of the assessed budget for the UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)—likely to be around £20 million in 2005–06. We supported the recent renewal and strengthening of MINUSTAH's mandate until February 2006, with an increase in troop numbers of approximately 750 over the election period. The European Commission plans to send an observation mission to Haiti in late 2005, but has yet to announce the make-up of that mission. The UK puts forward potential observers for all EU election observation missions.

Iran

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the UK, France and Germany to re-start negotiations with Iran on its use of nuclear technology.

Kim Howells: Discussions continue between Iran and the UK, France and Germany (the E3"), supported by the EU high representative, under the framework agreed in Paris in November 2004. The E3 have agreed to present further ideas, including on long-term arrangements for Iran's nuclear programme, at the end of July or the beginning of August. Officials are currently working on these ideas. Long-term arrangements must provide objective guarantees that Iran's nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes.

Iran

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the robustness of the electoral system in Iran following the recent presidential elections; and what discussions he has had with (a) the opposition in Iran and (b) the Iranian opposition in the UK on the implications of the election.

Kim Howells: In his statement of 25 June, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary expressed concern that there were serious deficiencies in the election process by international standards. A copy of the statement is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's website: www.fco.gov.uk/policy/news/press~releases. He noted that an unelected body—the Guardians Council—excluded most candidates who registered, and many other potential candidates were deterred by the election procedures from even putting their names forward. For the Iranian people to have a fully free choice about their country's future, they should be able to vote for candidates who hold the full range of political views, not just candidates selected for them. In addition, several candidates, senior figures in the Government and election officials complained of widespread interference and electoral malpractice by the security forces and other elements linked to the regime.
	The Foreign Secretary has had no formal contact with Iranian opposition groups, either in Iran or the UK.

Iran

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to improve relations with Iran.

Kim Howells: Through a bilateral policy of critical engagement, the UK, France and Germany (the E3') negotiation and the EU's dialogue with Iran, the Government seek to encourage Iran to address policies of concern, particularly regarding its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes; its approach to terrorism and opposition to the Middle East Peace Process; and its respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Our engagement is conditional. Progress in these areas will open up new opportunities for Iran. But we and the EU have made clear that relations with Iran can move forward only if Iran takes action to address our political concerns.

Iraq

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the (a) timetable and (b) scope is of the Court of Auditors' investigation into a possible breach of the embargo to the former Iraqi regime; which companies are being investigated; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: This is a question for the Court of Auditors. They are an independent institution. We cannot answer on their behalf.

Lithuania

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what ministerial visits to Lithuania (a) have taken place in the past 12 months and (b) are planned for the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: There have been five ministerial visits to Lithuania over the last year. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, (Mr. Sutcliffe) lobbied on the Working Time Directive in June 2004, the former hon. Member for Hove (Ivor Caplin), the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at Ministry of Defence visited in January, my right hon. and noble Friend the former Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean) attended a NATO ministerial meeting in April (there was nobilateral programme) and my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (Mr.Bradshaw) was in Lithuania recently (13–14 June) as part of a pre-Presidency tour. I visited Lithuania on 27 June, and held talks with the President, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary had planned to visit all the Baltic States in 2004, but parliamentary business intervened and the visit was postponed. It is not our practice to announce visits until they are firm. Because of the unpredictable nature of world events, final decisions on overseas visits are often not possible until very shortly before the day of travel.
	The Foreign Secretary and most UK Ministers meet with their Lithuanian and other EU colleagues in the course of regular EU business.

Middle East

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 28 June 2005, Official Report, column 1480W, on the Middle East, whether any of the UK's EU partners have raised the possibility of enforcing the human rights conditions of the EU-Israel Association Agreement with the UK.

Douglas Alexander: The EU has regularly raised issues of concern, including human rights, at EU/Israel Association Councils. We, with other member states, will consider in due course what issues to raise in advance of the EU/Israel Association Council scheduled to be held at the end of this year.

Middle East

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 28 June 2005, Official Report, column 1480W, on the Middle East, when the EU-Israel Association Committee is next due to meet.

Douglas Alexander: The next EU-Israel Association Committee is expected to take place during the Austrian EU Presidency in the first half of 2006.

Middle East

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 28 June 2005, Official Report, column 1480W, on the Middle East, if he will give an outline of Ariel Sharon's response to the UK's concerns on (a) the impact on human rights of barrier construction, (b) restrictions imposed on the freedom of movement of Palestinian people and (c) settlement expansion; and what assessment he has made of the response.

Kim Howells: Prime Minister Sharon's stated position is that the barrier and restrictions on freedom of movement are defensive measures necessary to protect Israel against terrorism. On settlements, Prime Minister Sharon has stated that no new settlements are being built and has said that following the completion of disengagement, the Israeli Government will dismantle outposts built since March 2001.
	The UK Government's consistent view is that, while Israel has the right to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks such as suicide bombings, which we condemn absolutely, Israel must act within international law. Settlement construction and the building of the barrier on occupied land are contrary to international law.

Nepal

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what system is inplace to check the end-use control of items of military assistance that have been gifted to Nepal as non-lethal.

Kim Howells: All of the military equipment the UK has gifted to Nepal since 2001 as part of our conflict prevention strategy has been non-lethal and cannot easily be adapted for offensive purposes. The main items of hardware have been two transport helicopters and two unarmed Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) surveillance aircraft. We have also provided land rovers, bomb disposal equipment and basic individual equipment.
	Both the helicopters and the STOL aircraft were provided on the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and the Government of Nepal, under which the Nepalese have committed themselves not to use or adapt the aircraft for attack purposes. The Defence Attache" at the British Embassy in Kathmandu and his staff make regular random visits to inspect the helicopters, only one of which survives owing to accident, and the STOL aircraft to ensure that they have not been fitted with offensive capabilities. In the case of the STOL aircraft such fixtures would involve considerable structural alteration. We have seen no evidence to suggest that these aircraft have been armed or used improperly. Periodically we remind the Nepalese of their obligations as set out in the Memorandum of Understanding governing the use of this equipment.

Non-EU Students

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the decision to abolish the right of appeal against refused visa applications on the number of prospective non-EU students applying to higher education institutions in the UK.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill removes appeal rights for all students refused entry clearance, a policy that was announced in the Five Year Strategy Controlling our borders: Making migration work for Britain. Once the Act comes into effect genuine students will continue to be granted entry clearance to study in the United Kingdom. The majority of applications for entry clearance as a student are granted and data from 2003 indicates that only about one percent of students who gained entry into the UK did so as the result of a successful appeal. Since 2001–02 the number of people granted entry clearance to study has increased by over 20 per cent. from 121,466 to 146,538 in 2003–04. Entry into the UK to study should be a privilege and not a right and changes to the appeals system reflect this distinction. We will maintain appeal rights where fundamental issues are raised, such as when people are refused entry clearance to visit family members. Other countries, including Canada and Australia, confer no appeal rights on people who are refused entry clearance as students. Proposals are currently being developed to increase, in a manageable way, the number of people coming to the UK to study; to provide these people with a high quality education; and to ensure the integrity of the immigration control. The requirements of the new system will be as objective and verifiable as possible and for the system to be as quick and easy to operate. A formal consultation exercise will be undertaken.

Russia

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the security of nuclear weapons and related materials in Russia; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The Russian authorities have made clear that they accord the highest priority to security at nuclear weapons storage sites.
	With regard to nuclear materials, the UK is currently implementing a series of projects under the Global Partnership to enhance security of materials across the Former Soviet Union. A number of projects are already under way. Discussions are on-going with the Russian authorities to identify potential future projects for UK support. Initial visits to sites confirm that in many cases significant security measures are already in place, funded both by the Russian Federation and the international community. However, we are looking to take forward a number of both bilateral and multilateral projects to assist in improvements to the physical protection of certain other facilities.

Treaty Challenges

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the occasions since 1997 where the Government have formally challenged the legal treaty basis for legislative activity at European Community level.

Douglas Alexander: The UK Government have formally challenged the legal treaty basis for legislative activity on two occasions. They are as follows:
	C-66/04 UK v. Parliament and Council (ongoing)
	C-217/04 UK v. Parliament and Council (ongoing).

Turkey

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Turkey's proposed accession to the European Union.

Douglas Alexander: The Government strongly supports Turkey's bid to join the EU. We look forward to opening accession negotiations with Turkey on 3 October 2005 as agreed by the European Council in December 2004 and subsequently reaffirmed by the June European Council.

Visas

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications for visitors visas were (a) received and (b) refused in each of the last five years in (i) Nigeria, (ii)Guyana, (iii) Pakistan, (iv) China and (v) India; and what proportion of those granted were granted at Tier One.

Kim Howells: The information on applications for visitors visas for the countries and categories required, is as follows:
	
		Visit visa applications (VVA) received
		
			  19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 Nigeria 70,557 77,818 99,449 134,793 107,911 
			 Guyana 1,448 1,659 1,841 1,961 1,342 
			 Pakistan 70,262 82,099 100,106 53,665 83,566 
			 China 47,231 48,673 60,021 76,232 77,765 
			 India 170,051 154,081 160,612 176,364 232,519 
		
	
	
		VVA refused
		
			  19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 Nigeria 9,669 9,145 14,665 30,905 33,189 
			 Guyana 197 141 168 239 303 
			 Pakistan 12,571 13,770 23,382 6,124 9,032 
			 China 3,690 1,626 1,867 4,425 6,226 
			 India 17,069 18,284 19,496 27,373 36,631 
		
	
	
		Percentage Tier One non-settlement applications
		
			  19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 Nigeria 93 90 94 90 91 
			 Guyana 100 100 100 100 100 
			 Pakistan 81 87 100 82 96 
			 China 86 90 246 78 82 
			 India 98 98 98 99 100 
		
	
	Statistics for the proportion of visitor visas granted at Tier One, applications where decisions are made without the need for an interview, are not available. The figures provided represent the percentage of non-settlement visa applications, which include visit visas, that were dealt with at Tier One within 24-hours.

Visas

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many appeals there have been against a refusal of a visitor's visa in each of the past five years; how many were granted; and what the cost to public funds was of those successful appeals.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table contains details about the number of appeals against a refusal of a visitor's visa received by the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA) from 2000 to 2004. The table also gives the percentage of appeals decided by the IAA that were granted. The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, which replaced the IAA on 4 April 2005 does not split cost by case type and therefore we cannot provide the cost to public funds of the successful appeals without incurring disproportionate costs.
	
		
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Family visit visa appeals received(19) 137 4,366 7,997 15,778 28,803 
			 Family visit visa appeal decisions(19) 66 4,283 7,091 14,214 22,707 
			 Family visit visa appeal percentage granted(19) 31 54 53 48 48 
		
	
	(19)The table excludes appeals to the Immigration Appeal Tribunal

Zimbabwe

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK nationals have reported to his officials criminal activity undertaken against them in Zimbabwe without redress from the Zimbabwean authorities.

Ian Pearson: Officials in Harare and London are not aware of any criminal cases in Zimbabwe where no action has been taken by the authorities. They have, however, received complaints about the slowness of the judicial system.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Charity Law

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received following the Government's proposals on charity law in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: Approximately 2,600 copies of the public consultation document on Charities Administration and Legislation in Northern Ireland were distributed by the Department for Social Development (DSD), and 106 responses were received from a wide range of respondents. In addition officials attended 10 seminars across Northern Ireland presenting the key proposals.
	The majority of respondents generally welcomed the key proposals to establish a Northern Ireland Charities Commission, a compulsory register for all charities operating in Northern Ireland and the submission of annual returns by charities; though some concerns were expressed about specific matters of operation.
	DSD is presently reviewing the responses and monitoring progress of the draft Charities Bill in England. Final proposals will be submitted and considered shortly.

Fast Response Team (DOE)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will establish a fast response team within the Department of the Environment (a) at weekends and (b) during public holidays to prevent (i)the felling of trees and (ii) the demolition of historic buildings prior to a tree preservation order or listing.

Angela Smith: The planning service already has local contact and response arrangements in place at divisional offices and the infrequency of such incidents would not justify the establishment of fast response teams. There would also be legal and financial implications to consider.
	It is felt that a better use of scarce resources would be to re-examine current arrangements with a view to improving response times should such incidents occur.

Higher Education (Overseas Students)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students from the European Union have been accepted to attend higher educational facilities in Northern Ireland in the next three years.

Angela Smith: Students may apply to courses at higher education institutions through the Universities and Colleges Administration Service (UCAS) or directly to the institutions. The lastest data available from UCAS show that at 24 March 2005, 19,064 applications from the European Union has applied to Northern Ireland Higher Education Institutions for entry in 2005. Of the 19,064 applicants, 14,887 were from Northern Ireland, 1,386 from Great Britain, 2,672 from Republic of Ireland and 119 from other European Union countries. Information on applicants accepted will be published by UCAS on their website during August 2005 (http://www.ucas.ac.uk/new/press/index.html).

Higher Education (Overseas Students)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students from countries outside the EU have been accepted to attend higher educational facilities in Northern Ireland in the next three years.

Angela Smith: Students may apply to courses at higher education institutions through the Universities and Colleges Administration Service (UCAS) or directly to the institutions. The latest data available from UCAS show that at 24 March 2005, 587 applications from outside the European Union has applied to Northern Ireland Higher Education Institutions for entry in 2005. Information on applicants accepted will be published by UCAS on their website during August 2005 (http://www.ucas.ac.uk/new/press/index.html).

Housing Benefit

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were in receipt of housing benefit in each year since 2001.

David Hanson: The number of people in receipt of housing benefit in each year since 2001 is as follows:
	
		
			  Total 
		
		
			 200102 173,631 
			 200203 175,868 
			 200304 169,017 
			 200405 176,740

Housing Benefit

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many recipients of housing benefit there were in each district council area in Northern Ireland in the last year for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The total number of recipients of housing benefit in each district council area in Northern Ireland in 20042005 is as follows:
	
		
			 Area Tenants Owner occupiers 
		
		
			 Antrim 2,636 730 
			 Armagh 2,991 1,754 
			 Ballycastle 1,273 487 
			 Ballymena 3,682 985 
			 Ballymoney 1,866 690 
			 Banbridge 2,210 927 
			 Bangor 3,662 1,249 
			 Belfast 33,773 8,676 
			 Carrickfergus 2,277 630 
			 Castlereagh 3,248 1,042 
			 Coleraine 4,220 1,186 
			 Cookstown 1,774 1,580 
			 Craigavon 6,418 2,533 
			 Down 3,810 1,552 
			 Dungannon 2,943 2,226 
			 Fermanagh 3,500 2,291 
			 Larne 2,119 612 
			 Limavady 2,193 1,040 
			 Lisburn 6,487 2,199 
			 Londonderry 12,861 3,911 
			 Magherafelt 1,985 1,309 
			 Newry 6,100 4,623 
			 Newtownabbey 4,939 1,720 
			 Newtownards 4,235 1,309 
			 Omagh 3,400 1,604 
			 Strabane 3,500 1,773 
			 Total 128,102 48,638

Housing Benefit

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what level of fraud in housing benefit payments has been discovered in each year since 2001.

David Hanson: The estimated levels of fraud in housing benefit payments, administered by NI Housing Executive, for the rented sector for each year since 2001 taken from the housing benefit review (HBR) are shown as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage of benefit expenditure affected by fraud 
		
		
			 200102 2.1 
			 200203 1.9 
			 200304 0.0 
		
	
	Note:
	The HBR also provides an estimate for the level of expenditure affected by error. When added to the fraud figures above the percentage figures increase to 3.8 per cent., 3.8 per cent. and 1.9 per cent. for the three years above.
	The estimate for 200405 is not yet available.
	The levels of fraud in housing benefit payments, administered by Rates Collection Agency (RCA), for the owner occupied sector for each year since 2001 measured through internal investigations by the RCA's housing benefit branch are shown as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage of benefit expenditure affected by fraud 
		
		
			 200102 (20) 
			 200203 (20) 
			 200304 0.42 
			 200405 0.19 
		
	
	(20)Figure not available.

Housing Executive Rents

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the change in Housing Executive rents was in each year since 1997.

David Hanson: Northern Ireland Housing Executive rent increases from 1997 are as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 199798 4 
			 199899 4.8 
			 19992000 4.5 
			 200001 4.5 
			 200102 3 
			 200203 3 
			 200304 3.25 
			 200405 3 
			 200506 3.1

Off-road Vehicles

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what measures are in place to tackle the illegal use of quads and scrambler bikes in Northern Ireland;
	(2)  if he will introduce legislation to give the Police Service of Northern Ireland power of seizure in the case of illegal use of scramblers and quads in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: Police currently have enforcement powers under the relevant aspects of the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 when incidents of illegal use of quads and scramblers occur on roads or public places. Where certain grounds are met, the PSNI will report a person for prosecution.
	Some District Commands, in particular those where a habitual problem exists, have adopted a pro-active approach to tackle this issue producing information leaflets which are distributed both to officers and members of the public. These outline the responsibilities of people using these vehicles and the minimum legal requirements associated with their use. In addition to the owners of such vehicles and the parents of children who ride them, contact has also been made with motorcycle retailers, reminding them of the need to encourage a responsible and legal use of such vehicles by members of the public.
	The Government are committed to ensuring that the police have the powers they need to tackle illegal use of scramblers and quads. The Draft Road Traffic (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 , which is soon to be published for public consultation, will contain a provision to give the Police Service of Northern Ireland the powers to seize motor vehicles, including quads and scramblers, being driven on public roads while uninsured.

Phoenix Natural Gas

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether Phoenix Natural Gas (PNG) Ltd. and its parent company East Surrey Holdings have confirmed to the Government in advance of their proposed takeover by Terra Firma that PNG will continue to comply with the regulatory agreement it reached with the Northern Ireland Authority for Energy Regulation in August 2004.

Angela Smith: Phoenix Natural Gas (PNG) and East Surrey Holdings have both confirmed their commitment to fully implementing the terms of the 2004 regulatory agreement to Government. Terra Firma has also indicated its intention to ensure that PNG continues to operate in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

Planning (Enforcement/Appeals)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many enforcement officers are employed by the planning service in each divisional planning area; and how many posts are vacant.

Angela Smith: The total complement of enforcement officers within the planning service is 49. There are currently six vacancies. The following table provides a breakdown of the figures by division.
	
		
			 Division Complement Number of vacancies 
		
		
			 Ballymena 7 1 
			 Belfast 8.5 1 
			 Craigavon 7.5 0 
			 Downpatrick 7.5 0 
			 Coleraine/Londonderry 7.5 1 
			 Omagh/Enniskillen 7 3 
			 HQ Special Studies Section 4 0

Planning (Enforcement/Appeals)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many planning appeals on the grounds of non-determination have been pursued by applicants in the Province since 2000.

Angela Smith: From 1 January 2000 to 30 June 2005 there have been 613 planning appeals lodged on the grounds of non-determination.

Police Stations

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has for the outsourcing of cleaning services in police stations in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: In response to Recommendation 91 of the Patten Report, the Police Service of Northern Ireland carried out a review of the future arrangements for cleaning services. This review concluded in October 2004 and the project board concluded that the cleaning service to the PSNI Estate should be competitively tendered with a view to outsourcing.
	The terms and conditions of service of cleaning staff is a matter for the Chief Constable. No decisions have yet been made. I understand that if any changes were made the standard of cleaning service would be maintained and any effects on staff would be managed within the TUPE framework.

Schools

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much of the education budget has been set aside for breakfast and after-school clubs in the South East Education and Library Board area for the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The South Eastern Education and Library Board has not set aside funding from its budget allocation for either breakfast or after-school clubs and has, at the moment, no plans to do so for the next two years.
	However, the South Eastern Education and Library Board is involved in a bid to the Integrated Development Fund for funds totalling 2 million over three years. The bid focuses on schools in the Colin area and envisages action in four key areascounselling services; breakfast and after school clubs; early years and youth interventions.

Schools

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much he plans to allocate to improving the quality of school meals in the Province, broken down by Education and Library Board area.

Angela Smith: 2.5 million has been made available in 200506 to improve the quality of school meals in Northern Ireland, with further funding in subsequent years. The Department of Education is currently considering the results of the school meals pilot with individual school authorities in order to determine the best way forward and specific allocations for 200506.
	Future years allocations will be determined nearer the time.

Schools

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the policy of the Education and Library Boards in Northern Ireland is in relation to the provision of school transport for disabled children, with particular reference to those children who are temporarily accommodated in overnight short break accommodation for respite care; and how this policy was formulated.

Angela Smith: The policy for transport assistance does not differentiate between pupils on the grounds of disability, except where the pupil is in receipt of a statement of special educational needs that includes a requirement for the provision of transport.
	Responsibility for the provision of transport assistance in respect of pupils availing of respite care, facilities rests with the Health and Social Services Trusts, since the respite venue is not the child's normal home. However, Education and Library Boards work in partnership with the relevant trust to facilitate such transport provision. For example, where there is surplus capacity on a board vehicle a concessionary seat may be offered to a pupil on the understanding that the concession may have to be withdrawn at any time.

Schools

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many teachers are on long-term stress-related sick leave in each board area, broken down by (a) primary and (b) post-primary levels of education.

Angela Smith: The number of teachers in each board area who are currently on stress-related sick leave is as follows:
	
		Current number of teachers on stress-related sick leave -- (20+ continuous days)
		
			 Board area Primary (including Nursery) Post-primary 
		
		
			 Belfast 7 2 
			 Western 6 8 
			 North Eastern 11 3 
			 South Eastern 6 4 
			 Southern 7 15 
			 Total 37 32

HEALTH

Abortions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health under which section of the Abortion Act 1967 the termination of pregnancy was performed for each of the maternal deaths associated with termination of pregnancy for the period 1981 to 1999; at what stage of gestation the pregnancy was in each case; and what the age of the mother was.

Caroline Flint: The following information has been taken from the relevant published triennial report on confidential inquiries into maternal deaths in the United Kingdom. This is the only information available as, after preparation of the report and before publication, all the maternal deaths report forms and related documents and files are destroyed. Between 1981 and 1999, there were 24 maternal deaths associated with termination of pregnancy.
	Grounds for the abortion were only stated in the reports for one case, which said,
	fetal abnormalities incompatible with life.
	The available information for gestation and age is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			 Gestation (weeks) Number of cases 
		
		
			 Under 10 6 
			 10 to 12 5 
			 13 to 19 8 
			 20 plus 1 
			 Early pregnancy 1 
			 Mid trimester 3 
		
	
	
		
			 Age (years) Number of cases 
		
		
			 16 1 
			 20s 3 
			 30s 4 
			 Young woman 6 
			 Not stated 3 
			 Less than 35 4 
			 More than 35 3

Accident and Emergency Services

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total number of accident and emergency attendances was for each NHS region for each of the last three years for which records were available.

Liam Byrne: Data by strategic health authority is available on the Department's website at www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalartivity/data_requests/a_and_e_attendances.htm.

Adult Social Care

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to produce a White Paper on adult social care; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Green Paper, Independence, Well-being and Choice: our vision for the future of social care for adults in England, was published for consultation on 21 March 2005. The consultation period closes on 28 July 2005. We will need to take account of the responses we have received from the public before making any decisions about next steps.

Alcohol Abuse

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the number of children admitted to hospital where the primary diagnosis is mental and behavioural disorders due to the use of alcohol.

Caroline Flint: The latest data that is available for people up to the age of 17 admitted to hospital where the primary diagnosis is mental and behavioural disorders due to the use of alcohol for 200304 in England is 3,934.
	The Government published the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy on 15 March 2004, which aims to prevent any increase in alcohol related harms in England.

Alcohol Abuse

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many alcohol-related incidents required a response by ambulance services in (a) England and (b) each ambulance trust in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not centrally collected.

Alliance Medical Ltd.

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2005, Official Report, columns 62930W, to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr. Jones), on Alliance Medical Ltd. what the nature was of the issues raised with Alliance Medical Ltd. and the strategic health authority.

Liam Byrne: Representation was made regarding the utilisation of the existing national health service magnetic resonance imaging facility in the Durham and Tees Valley strategic health authority's area.

Alliance Medical Ltd.

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints have been made through the central negligence scheme by patients receiving treatment provided by Alliance Medical.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 27 June 2005
	The NHS Litigation Authority's clinical negligence scheme for trusts has not received any claims in relation to Alliance Medical Ltd.

Alliance Medical Ltd.

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what dates have been set for review of Alliance Medical's contract to provide scanning services in the NHS.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 27 June 2005
	Performance is monitored weekly, quarterly and annually in accordance with the contract.

Alliance Medical Ltd.

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is responsible for payment of utility bills incurred by Alliance Medical for the site it occupies in Middlesbrough.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 30 June 2005
	The modest revenue costs incurred for utility bills are borne by the host national health service trust.

Alliance Medical Ltd.

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many residents of Chester-le-Street have had scans provided by Alliance Medical;
	(2)  how many residents of Stanley have had scans carried out by Alliance Medical.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 4 July 2005
	The information requested is not centrally collected.

Alzheimer's Disease

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of Alzheimer's patients who are being treated with antipsychotic drugs.

Liam Byrne: The data requested are not collected by the Department.

Care Homes

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care home beds in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley are operated (i) privately and (ii) by local authorities.

Liam Byrne: At 31 March 2001, in Lancashire, 15,900 care home beds were provided by the private and voluntary sectors and 1,900 beds by the council. Data are not available for Chorley.
	I understand from the Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that figures for later years were collected by the National Care Standards Commission, now CSCI, but comparable details are not available.

Care Homes

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost per week is in of a care home bed in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley; and what the waiting time for a care bed is in (i) Chorley and (ii)Lancashire.

Liam Byrne: Information is not held centrally on the average cost per week of care homes in Lancashire and Chorley.
	Data on waiting times for care beds are not collected centrally. However, a list of residential vacancies at Lancashire County Council Quality Accredited Homes is distributed to the area social work teams on a weekly basis.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of care homes for older people (a) exceeded, (b) met, (c) almost met and (d) did not meet the national minimum standard for medication in 200405.

Liam Byrne: In 200405, 10,571 older peoples' care homes were inspected against standard nine, the medication standard, of the national minimum standards for care homes for older people.
	34.4 per cent., of those homes inspected almost met the national minimum standard for medication. 54.3 per cent., met the standard and 1.2 per cent., exceeded it. 10.1 per cent., did not meet this requirement.

Care Homes

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the extent of social isolation of residents in the care home sector.

Liam Byrne: Standards 12 and 13 of the National Minimum Standards for care homes for Older People refer specifically to social contact. These standards should be taken into account by the Commission for Social Care Inspection when inspecting a home in conjunction with regulation 16 of the care homes regulations.

Carer Assessments

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many carer assessments and reviews made under the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000 were undertaken in each year since 2000, in each London borough.

Liam Byrne: Information on the number of carer assessments carried out, separately or jointly with the client, for the years 200001 to 200304 is shown in the table.
	
		Number of carer assessments by councils with social services responsibilities in London200001 to 200304 -- Rounded number
		
			 Councils with social services responsibilities 200001 200102 200203 200304(21) 
		
		
			 London(22) 17,790 21,230 34,910 40,080 
			 Inner London 
			 Camden 520 1,330 1,110 1,040 
			 Greenwich 320 350 150 260 
			 Hackney 130 350 380 900 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 590 700 700 1,560 
			 Islington 570 470 (23) 60 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 150 300 680 780 
			 Lambeth 210 400 300 850 
			 Lewisham 200 1,150 2,050 1,870 
			 Southwark 1,350 1,110 960 1,540 
			 Tower Hamlets 620 320 150 2,190 
			 Wandsworth 370 280 730 230 
			 Westminster 1,060 840 1,140 1,520 
			 City of London 10 30 40 40 
			  
			 Outer London 
			 Barking and Dagenham 800 780 1,350 620 
			 Barnet 1,760 1,730 3,050 700 
			 Bexley 450 750 970 1,250 
			 Brent 390 360 2,980 2,800 
			 Bromley 500 410 (23) 2,080 
			 Croydon 2,100 1,730 1,980 2,450 
			 Ealing 190 90 180 170 
			 Enfield 30 50 340 2,210 
			 Haringey 40 270 330 1,250 
			 Harrow 1,590 480 550 1,540 
			 Havering 550 (23) 1,810 1,800 
			 Hillingdon 330 810 (23) (23) 
			 Hounslow 780 590 490 1,080 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 190 260 400 (23) 
			 Merton 280 290 330 840 
			 Newham 210 110 280 380 
			 Redbridge 900 1,930 1,900 1,940 
			 Richmond upon Thames 10 210 1,490 1,830 
			 Sutton 320 260 320 930 
			 Waltham Forest 300 480 1,570 700 
		
	
	(21)The carers return was redefined in 200304 to include carers assessed or reviewed. Data for previous years refers to assessments only. It is important to note this change when interpreting the data.
	(22)Totals includes estimates for missing data.
	(23)Missing data
	Note:
	Figures may not add up due to rounding.
	Source:
	RAP proforma A4.

Community Equipment Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the next wave of tenders for provision of community equipment services will be advertised.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 4 July 2005
	It is the responsibility of local health and social care services to renew community equipment service contracts.
	Therefore, there will neither be a wave of tenders nor a national tender exercise.

Dentistry

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Government will provide vouchers to be used for private dental care to people in areas where there is no access to an NHS dentist; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will offer a refund equivalent to the standard cost of the appropriate NHS treatment to patients who pay for private dental treatment due to the unavailability of a local NHS dentist.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 23 June 2005
	Our objective is to ensure that people have a well-informed choice between private and readily accessible national health service dental treatment. In addition, we wish to ensure people on low incomes, who are particularly vulnerable to dental disease and are exempt from dental charges, continue to receive free treatment. This would not be guaranteed through the provision of either vouchers or refunds, because the dentist could require the voucher to be topped, while the refund might not meet the full cost of private dental treatment. We are, therefore, concentrating resources on the reform of NHS dentistry. In this financial year, funding for NHS dentistry in England is set to rise by 250 millionan increase of 19 per cent., compared with spending in 200304. People requiring NHS dental treatment may contact NHS Direct, who are able to respond, to 90 per cent. of inquiries with information on a dental practice accessible within locally agreed standards.

Dentistry

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how long applicants for Personal Dental Service contracts have waited on average for approval from her Department's bids panel in each month since July 2004.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 4 July 2005
	The maximum time agreed for applications from primary care trusts (PCTs) for personal dental services pilot contracts is 12 weeks. The 12-week period applies once the Department receives the application from the PCT. No applications wait longer than this for a decision, although some applications may take longer if the information provided by the PCT is incomplete.

Dentistry

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Christchurch (Mr. Chope) of 20 June 2005, Official Report, column 790W, on dentistry, if she will list the names of those higher education institutions which have expressed interest in having a new dental school; whether in each case this includes satellite school status; and what the timetable is for the stages involved in announcing the siting of a new dental school.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 4 July 2005
	It would not be appropriate to publish this information at this first stage of the work of the joint implementation group (JIG). JIG expects to reach its conclusions around the end of the year when the location of the additional training places will be published.

Dentistry

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies have been commissioned by her Department to evaluate the personal dental service (PDS) contract; and what information her Department receives from (a) primary care trusts and (b) individual dentists concerning PDS contracts in operation.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 4 July 2005
	A study of early personal dental services (PDS) pilots was conducted by the University of Birmingham for the Department, and published in 2002. Individual studies of options for change field sites are also available on the Modernisation Agency's website at: www.modernisingdentistry.nhs.uk. PPD pilot contracts are agreements between local primary care trusts and dental practices, and it is the responsibility of local primary care trusts to monitor and collect data on their operation.

Diagnostic Scans

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of diagnostic scans in the NHS were carried out by private healthcare companies in the last year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 30 June 2005
	This information is not centrally available, as the Department do not collect data on the total number of national health service scans carried out in the independent sector.

Domiciliary Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) people and (b) households were receiving domiciliary care in each social service authority area in (i) 199293, (ii) 199798 and (iii) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: Information on the estimated number of households and clients receiving home help or home care during a sample week in September for the years 1992, 1997 and 2004, by council with social services responsibility has been placed in the Library. Figures for the number of clients receiving home care were not collected before September 2000.

Domiciliary Care

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what public financial support was provided for the training of domiciliary carers in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many domiciliary carers have achieved NVQ Level 2 in care; and what percentage this represents of those required to achieve this under the Care Standards Act 2000.

Liam Byrne: We will pay a national training strategy grant of 94,859 million to local councils in 200506. We intend this to be used to support training and qualification for all social care staff. Local councils can use this funding to train their own staff and those employed in private and voluntary sector organisations providing social care services on their behalf. We will give a further 15 million national training strategy implementation grant to Skills for Care to support national vocational qualification training for social care staff employed in the private and voluntary sectors.
	Information is not available on qualifications held by the domiciliary care workforce. The requirement in the Care Standards Act 2000 relating to domiciliary care is expressed in terms of the percentage of care delivered, not the percentage of workers qualified.

Domiciliary Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her Answer of 9 June 2005, Official Report, column 628W, on domiciliary care, what the timescale is for (a) the work officials are undertaking with outside bodies to consider the recording of adverse events in domiciliary care settings and (b) the review of national minimum standards.

Liam Byrne: We intend to complete the work on the recording of adverse events in domiciliary care in co-operation with the review of the national minimum standards (NMS). We plan to complete the review of the NMS in 2006.

Foundation Trusts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) governors and (b) public governors there are of each foundation hospital trust; and how many public governors of each trust declare in their personal manifesto a declaration of interest that they (i)have medical qualifications and (ii) have worked in health.

Liam Byrne: This is a matter for Monitor, the statutory name of which is the independent regulator of national health service foundation trusts. The Chairman will write to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library. Declarations of interests for governors are maintained by individual NHS foundation trusts and can be obtained by directly approaching them.

Foundation Trusts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued to (a) foundation trusts and (b) Monitor on the funding trusts should make available (i) to encourage membership, recruitment and retention and (ii) to communicate with their electorates.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 30 June 2005
	Schedule one of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 sets out the minimum legislative requirements for the governance arrangements of national health service foundation trusts (NHSFTs). The Department provides a central programme of support to applicants preparing for foundation status, which includes guidance and direct financial assistance. Applicants are provided with guidance on developing governance arrangements, which gives information on the principles supporting the way NHSFTs are governed. This includes information on developing a representative membership base and communicating with the electorate.
	It is for the independent regulator of NHSFTs, Monitor to consider authorisation as an NHSFT. As part of its assessment process, Monitor considers the suitability of an applicant by considering its governance plans, including the membership strategy and steps taken to ensure a representative membership. Once authorised, it is the responsibility of Monitor to oversee the operation of an NHSFT and ensure it remains with the terms of authorisation and legislative framework.

General Practitioners

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place to monitor the target for 48 hour access to a general practitioner.

Liam Byrne: Data on access to general practitioner is collected monthly from primary care trusts via the primary care access survey.
	Detailed information about the survey is published on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/PatientChoice/WaitingBookingChoice/WaitingBookingChoiceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4079186chk=NIdfeQ.

General Social Care Council

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to make an announcement concerning the next groups to be registered with the General Social Care Council.

Liam Byrne: The General Social Care Council is currently completing the task of registering all qualified social workers in England. In September, the register will be extended to include social work students. During 2004, the Council carried out a widespread consultation about the order in which the remaining groups of social care staff should be brought into registration. I am considering that their report of the outcome of this consultation in the context of the continuing development of our social care policies following the publication of the social care Green Papers, Independence, well-being and choice and Every Child Matters. I expect to announce my decision shortly.

Haringey Teaching Primary Care Trust

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of delayed discharge in hospitals located in the Haringey teaching primary care trust area; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not available centrally.

Health Direct

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Health Direct will be established as a subsidiary of NHS Direct; whether NHS Direct and Health Direct will share the same access points; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Health Direct will be set up from 2007. It will be developed as a telephone, internet and digital television service. The aim is to provide easily accessible information on health choices. It will include links to existing health improvement services, including diet, nutrition and support for parents.
	A scoping study is being undertaken during 2005 to establish customer, operational and technical requirements for Health Direct. The decision to determine which are the most appropriate management and operational structures to deliver the Health Direct service will be taken in spring 2006, prior to commencement of a procurement phase, which we expect to complete by the end of 2006.

Health Services (Contractors)

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the independent sector providers with whom (a) her Department has contracts for the provision of health services and (b) primary care trusts have commissioned directly to provide services; what services are provided under each contract; and how many patients have been treated under each contract.

Liam Byrne: The information on the independent sector providers with which the Department has contracts is shown in the table. Information on contracts with the independent sector agreed by local national health service commissioners is not collected centrally.
	
		
			 Name of provider Services provided Number of patients treated to date 
		
		
			 Nations Healthcare Ophthalmology, general surgery, orthopaedics and trauma 600 
			 Partnership Healthcare Group Trauma and orthopaedics 3,100 
			 Birkdale Clinic Ophthalmology, minor orthopaedics, knee arthroscopies, minor plastics, upper  gastrointestinal endoscopies, minor dental surgery 3,900 
			 OR International Orthopaedics, ophthalmology and general surgery (24)0 
			 Netcare General surgery, ear, nose and throat, orthopaedics 190 
			 Care UK Afrox Orthopaedics 170 
			 Capio Various procedures including ophthalmology, general surgery, orthopaedics, 500 
			 Interhealth Orthopaedics, joint replacement 420 
			 Mercury Orthopaedics, general surgery, ophthalmology (24)0 
			 Netcare Ophthalmologycataract 14,000 
			 Capio/Nuffield Orthopaedic, casemix expanded to include a wide range of procedures 30,000 
			 Nuffield/BMI/BUP A Orthopaedics (24)0 
			 Alliance Medical Limited Diagnostics 54,500 
		
	
	(24)Patients have been referred but are not yet treated.

Hepatitis C

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the level of access to specialist assessment and treatment for people with hepatitis C infection.

Caroline Flint: In line with Shifting the Balance of Power, decisions about the provision of accessible specialist assessment and treatment for people with hepatitis C infection through managed clinical networks, are for local determination. We understand that managed clinical networks have so far either been established or are being considered in London, South West peninsula, East Anglia, West Midlands, Trent, Liverpool and North East England.

Hepatitis C

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in developing modelling techniques to assist in projecting numbers of patients needing specialist treatment and care for hepatitis C since the Action Plan for Hepatitis C was published.

Caroline Flint: The Department has funded the Health Protection Agency, working with the Medical Research Council's biostatistics unit, to provide estimates of the future burden of hepatitis C-related liver disease.
	Results from this ongoing study will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication later this year.

Hepatitis C

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what projections have been made for the incidence of hepatitis C in England.

Caroline Flint: Studies suggest that 0.5 per cent. of the general population in England, 250,000 people, has been infected with hepatitis C. As around 80 per cent. of people who have been exposed to the virus go on to develop chronic infection, it is estimated that 0.4 per cent. of the population, 200,000 people, are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus.
	There is no data available on the number of newly acquired hepatitis C infections in the general population (incidence). This is because acute hepatitis C infection does not usually cause symptoms and there are no laboratory tests that detect newly acquired hepatitis C infections.

Hospital Workers (Drug Dependency)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has evaluated on drug dependency in hospital workers.

Liam Byrne: The Department's guidance, Taking alcohol and other drugs out of the NHS workplace, was re-issued this year as part of the Management of Health, Safety and Welfare Issues for NHS Staff by NHS Employers, which provides support to employers. This guidance reflects good practice.

Hospital-acquired Infections

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of (a) methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus, (b) vancomycin-intermediate Staphyloccus aureus, (c) Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea, (d) vancomycin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus and (e) glycopeptide-resistant enterococci have been recorded in each hospital in England in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 30 June 2005
	Information on meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections is available in the Library and on the Department's website at
	http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/PublicationsStatisticsArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4085951chk=HBt2QD
	This data has been collected since April 2001; the latest data covers the period to the end of March 2005.
	The Health Protection Agency (HPA) antimicrobial resistance monitoring and reference laboratory is aware of only one confirmed case of vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus in England to date.
	Only three cases of vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) have been seen worldwide; none in England.
	Since 1 January 2004, all acute national health service trusts have been required to report all cases of diarrhoea associated with Clostridium difficile. The data for 2004 is being prepared for publication and will subsequently be published annually. The HPA also runs a voluntary reporting system, but does not provide data by trust or by hospital.
	Since 1 October 2003, all acute NHS trusts have been required to report all blood stream infections caused by glycopeptide-resistant enterococci. The data is being prepared for publication and will subsequently be published annually.

In-flight Meals

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations she has received on the impact on the health of passengers of the salt and fat content of in-flight meals;
	(2)  if she will undertake a survey of the nutritional content of in-flight meals;
	(3)  what advice she gives to airline passengers on the salt content of in-flight meals.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency, in consultation with the Department and stakeholders, is in the process of setting target levels for salt in key product categories that contribute most to intakes. It is anticipated that all sectors of the food industry, including caterers, will work to meet these targets. We will ensure that suppliers of meals to airline passengers are included in this initiative and that airline companies are aware.
	All adult consumers are advised to eat a balanced diet, but specific advice has not been issued to airline passengers about the salt content of in-flight meals.
	I have not received any representations on the impact of in-flight meals on the health of passengers and have no plans to undertake a survey of such meals.

Influenza Pandemic

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what prioritisation system the Health Protection Agency has put in place for vaccinations in the event of an influenza pandemic.

Caroline Flint: The Government will make the decision for vaccination prioritisation based on advice from the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation (JCVI), an independent expert advisory committee, and the United Kingdom national influenza pandemic committee. The JCVI has provisionally advised the following order for vaccinating people:
	Healthcare workers most at risk.
	Essential service workers.
	Clinical high-risk groups.
	Closed communities such as nursing homes.
	General population.
	This list is contained in the UK pandemic influenza contingency plan.

IVF Treatment

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many primary care trusts have fully implemented the recommendation that all eligible patients should receive one NHS-funded IVF treatment;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the impact of the decision to allow each eligible patient one NHS-funded IVF treatment on the number of IVF procedures carried out by the NHS;
	(3)  how many NHS-funded IVF treatments have been carried out in each strategic health authority area in each of the last eight years.

Caroline Flint: The Department does not collect information centrally on the number of national health service-funded invitro fertilization (IVF) treatments carried out. A survey of primary care trusts carried out by All Party Group on Infertility and the National Infertility Awareness Campaign has shown that the majority have worked to provide of at least one cycle of IVF for those who are eligible according to the guideline published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Kidney Transplants

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will provide ringfenced funding for kidney transplants; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Primary care trusts are responsible for renal transplant commissioning through specialised commissioning arrangements. They are best placed to determine local needs and priorities and to ensure that they have the staff and facilities required to deliver high quality care. Ring-fenced funding is not appropriate.

Malarial Infections

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the use of fungal spores in reducing malarial infections.

Caroline Flint: We welcome this new development in the fight against malaria, which continues to claim the lives of one to two million people world-wide each year. Reducing morbidity and mortality due to malaria depends on a coordinated attack on the mosquito vector by personal protective measures, for example, insecticide-impregnated bed nets, and community mosquito control programmes, on prompt diagnosis and treatment of malaria in individual patients with antimalarial drugs. Vaccines are under development but will not be available in the short to medium term.
	Recent reports have shown that adult Anopheles mosquitoes can be infected and killed by several species of fungi. The fungi can be sprayed on surfaces, cloths or netting.
	Recent laboratory studies have shown that exposing adult Anopheles Stephens! mosquitoes that have been infected with rodent malaria to the fungus reduces the number of mosquitoes that are able to transmit infection by a factor of 80 1 .
	A recent trial in houses in a rural area of Tanzania showed that the fungus killed wild adult Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes, which are the major vector of malaria in Africa, and suggests that this method could significantly reduce the intensity of malaria transmission 2 .
	Further studies are required to assess the potential of this method of controlling mosquitoes for inclusion in a coordinated programme against malaria.
	References:
	1 Blanford S, Chan BH, Jenkins N, Sim D, Turner RJ, Read AF, Thomas MB. Fungal pathogen reduces potential for malaria transmissionScience 2005; 308:16381641.
	2 Scholte B, Ng'habi K, Kihonda J, Takken W, Paaijmans K, Abdulla S, Killeen GF, Knols BG. An entomopathogenic fungus for control of adult African malaria mosquitoesScience 2005; 308: 16411642.

Meat Inspectors

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to encourage the employment of plant inspection assistants (PIAs) for the red meat industry; and when she is expecting to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of PIAs in the white meat industry; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that EU Regulation 854/2004 on the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin does not provide for the employment of plant inspection assistants (PIAs), except in slaughterhouses for poultry and lagomorphs. The employment of PIAs in red meat slaughterhouses could only be provided for by an amendment to that Regulation by the European Parliament and the Council using the codecision procedure on a proposal from the Commission.
	Regulation 854/2004 requires the official veterinarian to carry out regular performance tests on the work of the PIAs. If these show that the work is unsatisfactory or affects the hygiene of the establishment, the PIAs must be replaced by official meat inspectors.

Meat Inspectors

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meat inspectors were in employment in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and what the establishment was for each year.

Caroline Flint: The table shows the numbers of staff employed as meat hygiene inspectors (MHIs) and senior MHIs in the Meat Hygiene Service in each of the last three years as at 1 April.
	
		
			  2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Meat hygiene inspectors 1,023 1,014 981 
			 Senior meat hygiene inspectors 159 151 137 
			 Total 1,182 1,165 1,118 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.MHI figures include a total of 25 full-time equivalent casual employees at April 2003 and 2004 and 30 in 2005, who work on an ad hoc basis.
	2.Senior MHIs include the old senior grades, the supernumerary senior grades and the enhanced senior grades.
	3.Also included are 65 full-time equivalent contract staff at April 2003, 43 at April 2004 and 42 at April 2005.
	The figures shown are actual numbers employed to meet fluctuating service requirements. There is no formal establishment figure and staff are recruited to address staff turnover and to meet additional service requirements where necessary.

Meat Inspectors

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the future of the Meat Hygiene Service, with particular reference to training levels for (a) inspectors and (b) plant inspection assistants.

Caroline Flint: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that the training requirements which apply from 1 January 2006 for both meat inspectors and plant inspection assistants are set out in European Union Regulation 854/2004, subject to any transitional measures that the Commission may adopt. The FSA intends to ensure that these requirements are complied with.
	The FSA has no plans to change the current role of the Meat Hygiene Service.

Monsanto Maize

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 May 2005, Official Report, column 633W, on Monsanto's maize, what the effects were on rats fed on Monsanto's GM corn MON 863 in respect of (a) kidney size, (b) blood cell levels and (c) lymphocytes.

Caroline Flint: Monsanto conducted a standard 90-day feeding study in rats given diets containing 11 percent. or 33 per cent. of MON 863 maize grain, or equivalent amounts of non-genetically modified (GM) maize grain. The results revealed a small difference in the parameters mentioned in the question between the animals fed the highest amount of MON 863 maize, compared with those in one given one of the diets containing non-GM maize. Such findings are not unusual in studies of this type, where several dozen parameters are being evaluated across a number of treatment groups and interpretation of the results requires expert analysis of the statistical basis for the apparent differences and their biological significance. These data have been analysed independently by expert groups in the United Kingdom and at the European Food Safety Authority, who have concluded that the results of the study are not indicative of adverse effects due to the consumption of MON 863 maize.

MRI Scans (Durham)

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual running cost is of the NHS scanner at the University Hospital North Durham was in 200405.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 4 July 2005
	This information is not held centrally.

NHS Acute Hospital Trusts

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS acute hospital trusts can (a) close beds, (b) close wards and (c) withdraw services without her consent.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 27 June 2005
	Guidance on service change, Keeping the NHS LocalA New Direction of Travel, was published on 14 February 2003. It sets out core principles for service change that the national health service must follow.

NHS Direct

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the 10 most common reasons for calls to NHS Direct were during the last 12 months for which information is available.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gaveto the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr.Burstow) on 28 June 2005, Official Report, column 1521W.

NHS Staff

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of people contracted to work within the NHS are not entitled to (a) sick pay and (b) holiday pay.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 27 June 2005
	All staff working in the national health service are entitled to the statutory requirements for sick leave and holiday leave.

NHS Staff

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the staff turnover is among (a) all medical staff, (b) all non-medical clinical staff and (c) all other staff in the NHS in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if she will estimate the current national average for staff turnover.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is currently not held centrally.

Obesity

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the numbers of obese (a) adults and (b) children in (i) East Yorkshire and (ii) England; and how these figures compare with levels of obesity in other developed countries.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 13 June 2005
	The prevention and management of obesity are at the heart of many of the Government's priority areas and the foundation for all future work to tackle obesity has been laid out in the White Paper, Choosing Health.
	Information is not available in exactly the form requested. Figures from the Health Survey for England are shown in table 1.
	
		1: Obesity prevalence in England
		
			 Adults(25) classed as obese as a proportion of the total sample North and East Yorkshire and North East Lincolnshire strategic health authority England 
		
		
			 Men (percentage) 25.2 22.9 
			 Women (percentage) 27.1 23.4 
			
			 Number of adults surveyed 
			 Men 486 5,966 
			 Women 599 7,090 
		
	
	
		
			 Children(26) classed as obese as a proportion of the total sample Yorkshire and the Humber Government office region England 
		
		
			 Boys (percentage) 12.3 16.0 
			 Girls (percentage) 12.5 15.9 
			
			 Number of children surveyed 
			 Boys 516 5,442 
			 Girls 483 5,381 
		
	
	(25)Aged 16 and over with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30.
	(26)Aged 215 with a valid BMI measurement. United Kingdom national BMI percentile classification used to classify obesity in children.
	Note:
	Figures for adults are weighted to reduce bias from non-response to the survey.
	Source:
	Health Survey for England 200002 and 2003
	Figures from other developed countries are shown in table 2.
	
		2: Obesitypercentage of adult population with a BMI greater than 30 kilogram/square metre
		
			  1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Australia   8.3 c 10.8-(27)c 21.7-(27)c 21.7-(28)c 21.7-(29)c  
			 Austria8.5(27) 9.1-(27) 9.1-(28) 9.13  
			 Belgium 11.7 (27) 11.7 11.7-(27) 11.7-(28) 
			 Canada 14.1-(27) 13.9 b 13.9-(27)b 14.3 
			 Czech Republic11.2(29) 14.2-(27) 14.8(27) 14.8 14.8-(27) 
			 Denmark5.5-(29) 9.5 9.5-(27) 9.5-(28) 9.5-(29) 
			 Finland   7.4 8.4 11.2 11.4 11.8 12.8 
			 France5.8 9 9.0-(27) 9.4 9.4-(27) 
			 Germany 11.5-(27) 11.5-(28) 12.9 (27) 12.9 
			 Greece 21.9(29) 21.9(28) 21.9 (27) 21.9 
			 Hungary 18.2 18.2-(27) 18.8 (27) 18.8 
			 Iceland7.5 12.4 (28) 12.4 (27) 12.4 12.4-(27) 
			 Ireland 10.0-(28) 13.0(27) 13 13.0-(27) 
			 Italy 8.6 8.5 8.5 8.5-(27) 
			 Japan   2 2.3 2.9 3.2 3.6 3.2 
			 Korea 3.2 (27) 3.2 3.2-(27) 3.2-(28) 
			 Luxembourg 16.3 17.9 17.3 18.4 
			 Mexico 24.2 24.2(27) 24.2-(28) 24.2-(29) 
			 Netherlands   5.1(27) 6.1 9.4 9.3 10 10.0-(27) 
			 New Zealand11.1-(27) 17.0-(29) 20.9(28) 8.3 20.9 
			 Norway 6.4-(28) 8.3(27) 8.3 8.3-(27) 
			 Poland 
			 Portugal 12.8-(27) 12.8-(28) 12.8-(29)  
			 Slovak Republic18.9(29) 16.2-(28) 22.4(27) 22.4 22.4-(27) 
			 Spain6.8-(29) 12.6(27) 12.6 12.6-(27) 13.1 
			 Sweden5.5-(27) 9.2 9.2 10.2 9.7 
			 Switzerland5.4(28) 7.7 (28) 7.7 (27) 7.7 7.7-(27) 
			 Turkey 12.0(29) 12.0(28) 12.0 (27) 12 
			 United Kingdom   7.0 c 14.0 (27)c 21.0 c 22.0 c 22.0 c 23.0 c 
			 United States   15.0-(28)c 23.3 (27)c 30.5 c 30.5-(27)c 30.6 c 30.6-(27)c 
		
	
	Notes:
	(a) -1, -2, -3, 1, 2, 3shows that data refers to 1, 2 or 3 previous or following year(s).
	(b) Obesity rates are defined as the percentage of the population with a BMI over 30. The BMI is a single number that evaluates an individual's weight status in relation to height (weight/height(27) , with weight in kilograms and height in metres).
	(c) For Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, figures are based on health examinations, rather than self-reported information. Obesity estimates derived from health examinations are generally higher and more reliable than those coming from self-reports, because they preclude any misreporting of people's height and weight. However, health examinations are only conducted regularly in a few countries.
	Note:
	Definitions, sources and methods per country are available at www.irdes.fr/ecosante/OCDE/814010.html
	Source:
	OECD Health data 2005, June 2005

Obesity

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the United Kingdom are obese; and what estimate has been made of the number of people who died as a result of obesity in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The available information is given in the table. Although figures are requested for the United Kingdom, information in respect of obesity prevalence in Scotland and Wales is the responsibility of the devolved administrations. While the institutions in Northern Ireland are dissolved, responsibility rests with Ministers in the Northern Ireland office.
	Obesity prevalence figures are taken from the results of the health survey for England for 2003, the latest year for which figures are available.
	
		Obesity prevalence in England
		
			  
		
		
			 Adults classed as obese as a proportion of the total sample (percentage) 22.6 
			 Number of adults surveyed(28) 13,089 
			 Children classed as obese as a proportion of the total sample (percentage) 16.6 
			 Number of children surveyed(29) 2854 
		
	
	(28)Aged 16 and over with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30.
	(29)Aged 215 with a valid BMI measurement UK National BMI percentile classification used to classify obesity in children.
	Note:
	Adult figures are weighted to reduce bias arising from non-response to the survey.
	Source:
	Health survey for England 2003
	With regard to how many obese people died in each of those years, whether a person was obese is not routinely recorded at death certification. However, data on deaths where the underlying cause was certified as obesity or where this condition contributed to the death are collected. The table shows the number of deaths in England and Wales where obesity was the underlying cause of death and where obesity contributed to the death, for the calendar years 1999 to 2003.
	
		Number of deaths where obesity (ICD-9 278.0; ICD-10 E66) was the underlying cause of death or contributed to the death,England and Wales, 19992003
		
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Underlying cause 165 161 183 182 219 
			 Contributed to death 597 626 695 732 885 
			 Total number of deaths from all causes 556,118 535,664 530,373 533,527 538,254 
		
	
	Note:
	Data are for occurrences of death per calendar year.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Older People

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons a measure of mental health was not included in the milestone in the National Service Framework for Older People that by April 2004 local health systems should be able to demonstrate year on year improvements in measures of health and well-being among older people.

Liam Byrne: The milestones accompanying standard eight of the National Service Framework for Older People focus primarily on the promotion of physical well being.

Park Hill, Egginton

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost was of the purchase and refurbishment of Park Hill, Egginton, Derbyshire by the local health authority.

Liam Byrne: This information is not held centrally.
	Funding for primary care premises is allocated by the Department to strategic health authorities, which, in turn, distribute this funding to individual primary care trusts (PCTs). PCTs are responsible for deciding how these resources are used and which projects are given priority locally.

Physiotherapists

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many training places have been available for those wanting to become physiotherapists in each of the last four years;
	(2)  how many physiotherapists have been employed by the NHS in each of the last four years.

Liam Byrne: The tables show the number of students entering training to become a physiotherapist in each year since 200102 and the number of physiotherapists employed in the national health service in each year since 2001.
	
		Training commissions in England
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 200102 1,780 
			 200203 2,157 
			 200304 2,343 
			 200405 2,357 
		
	
	Source:
	Strategic health authority quarterly monitoring returns
	
		NHS hospital and community health services: qualified physiotherapy staff in England as at 30 September each year
		
			  Headcount Full-time equivalents 
		
		
			 2001 16,212 12,992 
			 2002 16,885 13,586 
			 2003 17,922 14,455 
			 2004 19,139 15,564 
		
	
	Source:
	Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census

Physiotherapists

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures her Department is taking to ensure there is an adequate number of posts available for newly-qualified physiotherapists.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 4 July 2005
	Information collected by the Department does not break down physiotherapists by grade. As at September 2004, there were 19,139 physiotherapists employed in the national health service, which represents an increase of 4,896 or 34 per cent. since 1997.
	The Department is working closely with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, the NHS workforce review team and NHS organisations to help junior physiotherapists to find first posts of employment. As a result of this collaborative work, there is an action plan in place to ensure local managers have access to a range of strategies across recruitment, commissioning and skill mix. It is the responsibility of local NHS employers and strategic health authorities to ensure there are sufficient numbers of physiotherapists to meet service needs.

Physiotherapists

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people studied physiotherapy at university each year since 2002.

Liam Byrne: The table shows the number of students entering training to become a physiotherapist in each year since 200102.
	
		Training commissions in England
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 200102 1,780 
			 200203 2,157 
			 200304 2,343 
			 200405 2,357 
		
	
	Source:
	Strategic health authority quarterly monitoring returns.

Primary Care Trusts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the Deputy Prime Minister on the merits of linking re-organisation of primary care trusts with that of local government re-organisation.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 30 June 2005
	None, but the Government continue to seek ways for the national health service and local government to work closely together.

Private Sector Providers

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library the monthly reports she receives from private sector providers.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 27 June 2005
	The monthly reports received from independent sector providers contain patient and/or commercially confidential information. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to place these documents in the Library. The Department does, however, plan to publish information on clinical outcomes later this year.

Radiographers

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many radiographers have been employed in the NHS in each year since 1991.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		National health service hospital and community health services: radiography staff in England by area and level as at 30 September each specified year(30) -- Headcount
		
			  1991 1992 1993(30) 1994 1995 1996 1997 
		
		
			 England 10,945 11,372 n/a 11,945 12,844 12,882 13,108 
			 
			 Diagnostic Radiographers 9,702 10,105 n/a 10,622 11,524 11,525 11,646 
			 
			 Qualified 8,891 9,210 n/a 9,520 10,294 10,265 10,364 
			 Consultant Therapist/Scientist n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Manager n/a n/a n/a n/a 111 114 122 
			 Therapist n/a n/a n/a n/a 9,624 9,647 9,809 
			 Technician n/a n/a n/a n/a 481 487 416 
			 Tutor n/a n/a n/a n/a 78 17 17 
			 
			 Unqualified 811 895 n/a 1,102 1,230 1,260 1,282 
			 Assistant Practitioner n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Student/Trainee n/a n/a n/a n/a 91 47 41 
			 Helper/Assistant n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,139 1,213 1,241 
			 
			 Therapeutic Radiographers 1,243 1,267 n/a 1,323 1,320 1,357 1,462 
			 
			 Qualified 1,243 1,267 n/a 1,323 1,252 1,308 1,407 
			 Consultant Therapist/ Scientist n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Manager n/a n/a n/a n/a 10 13 11 
			 Therapist n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,242 1,295 1,396 
			 
			 Unqualified n/a n/a n/a n/a 68 49 55 
			 Assistant Practitioner n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Student/Trainee n/a n/a n/a n/a 18 0 0 
			 Helper/Assistant n/a n/a n/a n/a 50 49 55 
		
	
	
		Headcount
		
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 England 13,518 13,862 14,190 14,694 15,371 16,046 16,921 
			 
			 Diagnostic Radiographers 11,988 12,299 12,649 13,037 13,695 14,199 14,932 
			 Qualified 10,645 10,839 11,036 11,163 11,489 11,687 12,147 
			 Consultant Therapist/Scientist n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 4 
			 Manager 145 167 155 140 138 168 179 
			 Therapist 10,032 10,161 10,271 10,516 10,860 11,293 11,954 
			 Technician 452 494 595 495 481 214 0 
			 Tutor 16 17 15 12 10 12 10 
			 
			 Unqualified 1,343 1,460 1,613 1,874 2,206 2,512 2,785 
			 Assistant Practitioner n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 75 
			 Student/Trainee 33 21 19 18 31 78 80 
			 Helper/Assistant 1,310 1,439 1,594 1,856 2,175 2,434 2,630 
			 
			 Therapeutic Radiographers 1,530 1,563 1,541 1,657 1,676 1,847 1,989 
			 Qualified 1,473 1,491 1,453 1,543 1,542 1,657 1,753 
			 Consultant Therapist/ Scientist n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 1 
			 Manager 17 20 19 25 28 42 30 
			 Therapist 1,456 1,471 1,434 1,518 1,514 1,615 1,722 
			 
			 Unqualified 57 72 88 114 134 190 236 
			 Assistant Practitioner n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 13 
			 Student/Trainee 0 0 1 1 9 6 4 
			 Helper/Assistant 57 72 87 113 125 184 219 
		
	
	n/a = not applicable
	(30)Figures for 1993 are unavailable.
	Note:
	A new system of classification for the non-medical work force was introduced in 1995. Figures for 199194 are not directly comparable with later years.
	Source:
	Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census

School Nurses

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many school nurses are employed in (a) East Staffordshire, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England.

Liam Byrne: The number of school nurses in England, Shropshire and Staffordshire strategic health authority (SHA) and East Staffordshire primary care trust (PCT) is shown in the table.
	
		National health service hospital and community health services: Nurses working in school nursing in specified areas as at 30 September 2004 -- Headcount
		
			   Total school nursing workforce Qualified school nurses Qualified nurses working in school nursing Unqualified nurses working in school nursing 
		
		
			 England  2,749 856 1,553 340 
			   
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA Q26 62 35 27 0 
			 Of which:  
			 East Staffordshire PCT 5ML 12 0 12 0 
		
	
	Source:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre non-medical workforce census 2004.

Select Committee Reports

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will respond to the reports of the Health Select Committee from the previous Parliament to which she has not yet responded.

Patricia Hewitt: Responses to these reports will be published in due course.

Sexually-transmitted Diseases

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new diagnoses of (a) syphilis, (b) gonorrhoea, (c) chlamydia, (d) herpes and (e) genital warts were recorded by the Health and Protection Agency in 2004 for (i) England and (ii)England and Wales.

Caroline Flint: The numbers of new diagnoses of syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, herpes and genital warts seen in genitor-urinary medicine clinics in England and Wales are published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in its report, Diagnoses and rates of selected STIs seen at GUM clinics, United Kingdom: 200004, which is available on the HPA website at www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/epidemiology/dataresource.htm

Sexually-transmitted Diseases

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1) what screening services are available for men with suspected Chlamydia infection; what plans she has to improve these services; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what strategies her Department (a) has employed and (b) plans to combat chlamydia in men; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how many chlamydia infections in (a) men and (b) women were reported in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 20 June 2005
	For men who suspect that they have chlamydia, diagnoses and treatment are provided through genitor-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics. The public health White Paper, Choosing Healthmaking healthy choices easier published in November 2004 sets out a number of measures to improve access to, and modernise, GUM services. These measures are backed by 130 million additional revenue and capital investment over three years, and will support clinics in moving towards the target of maximum 48 hour waiting times for clinic appointments.
	In terms of detecting asymptomatic chlamydia infection, the Department's policy is to promote greater uptake of chlamydia testing and treatment through the national chlamydia screening programme. This opportunistic programme targets sexually active men and women under 25, who are most at risk of infection. We recognise that there are particular challenges in encouraging young men to access chlamydia screening as they do not attend health services as regularly as young women. We are, therefore, encouraging local programmes to evaluate which venues work best in terms of screening young men, for example colleges, workplaces and sports facilities.
	Young men and women are also targeted with information about chlamydia through our national sexual health media campaigns, including a major new campaign to be launched later this year, as announced in the White Paper.
	The White Paper, also included a commitment to accelerate the roll-out of the national chlamydia screening programme, with the goal of making this available across the country by March 2007, backed by investment of an extra 80 million to achieve this aim.
	The data requested is shown in the following table.
	
		Number of cases of genital Chlamydial infection diagnosed in genitourinary medicine clinics by sex in England: 19992003
		
			  Sex 
			  Male Female Total 
		
		
			 1999 21,808 29,196 51,004 
			 2000 26,632 34,815 61,447 
			 2001 29,604 38,652 68,256 
			 2002 34,509 43,980 78,489 
			 2003 37,913 47,250 85,163 
		
	
	Source:
	Health Protection Agency, KC60 Returns

Smoking

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1) whether the Government have commissioned research on the likely effects of allowing smoking in pubs where food is not prepared;
	(2)  what penalties the Government are planning to implement to enforce a future ban on smoking in public places.

Caroline Flint: We have launched a consultation on the smoke-free elements of the Health Improvement and Protection Bill. This includes proposals for offences and penalties. It also invites views on the proposals to exempt licensed premises, which do not prepare and serve food. We will be discussing the details of the proposals with key stakeholders during this time.
	A copy of the consultation paper is available in the Library.

Smoking

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her assessment is of the extent of smoking-related illness in Liverpool.

Liam Byrne: The estimated percentages of deaths attributable to smoking in primary care trusts (PCTs) in Liverpool is shown in the table.
	
		Estimated percentage of deaths attributable to smoking in Liverpool PCTs
		
			  Smoking deaths as a percentage of all deaths 
			 PCT Males Females All persons 
		
		
			 Central Liverpool 22 11 16 
			 North Liverpool 21 11 16 
			 South Liverpool 24 14 19 
			 England 22 12 17 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.The all persons column represents the average for men and women.
	2.The smoking attributable percentage data for PCTs provides figures relating to the percentage of deaths over 35 years of age from diseases related to smoking that are smoking attributable. Figures are provided for males, females and persons. The percentages are based on the estimate of smoking attributable mortality across the five years from 1998 to 2002 and the observed deaths, from those over 35, for 1998 to 2002.
	3.The estimates of smoking attributable mortality as a percentage of all deaths are derived in the following way:
	a) For London PCTs, the percentages are based on the estimate of smoking attributable mortality across five years of data from 1998 to 2002 and the observed number of deaths from all causes, all ages across these same five years.
	b) For all other PCTs, the percentage is based on the annual average estimate of smoking attributable mortality across 1998 to 2002 and the observed number of deaths from all causes, all ages for 2002.The percentage is based on the annual average estimate of smoking attributable mortality across 19982002 and the observed number of deaths from all causes, all ages for 2002.
	Source:
	Data underlying the publication of The smoking epidemic in England, November 2004 the Health Development Agency (HDA)available on the HDA website at www.hda.nhs.uk/html/improving/smoking epidemic.html.

Smoking

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding the Government has provided for tobacco policy support to (a) local authorities, (b) Government Offices for the Regions and (c) regional chambers in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The Government do not provide funding for tobacco policy support to local authorities or regional chambers.
	From 200304, amounts were allocated to each Government Office for the Region for tobacco control and funding of alliance work, which is shown in the following table.
	
		
		
			 Region 200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 North East 194,000 194,000 194,000 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 218,000 218,000 218,000 
			 North West 242,000 242,000 242,000 
			 West Midlands 221,000 221,000 221,000 
			 East Midlands 206,000 206,000 206,000 
			 Eastern 217,000 217,000 217,000 
			 South East 241,000 241,000 241,000 
			 South West 214,000 214,000 214,000 
			 London 247,000 247,000 247,000 
			 Total 2,000,000 2,000,000 2,000,000 
		
	
	Note:
	The sums in the table are indicative. Regions have the discretion to vary spending within the allocation.

Solvent Abuse

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research the Government have commissioned on the causes and effects of solvent abuse.

Caroline Flint: The Department has not commissioned any specific research into the causes and effects of volatile substance abuse (VSA).
	The Department has, in partnership with the Home Office, the Department for Education and Skills and a wide range of external stakeholders, including the British Aerosol Manufacturers Association, St. George's University of London, ReSolv and the National Children's Bureau, produced a framework which sets out a strategic direction for addressing VSA. It is due to be published shortly.

Solvent Abuse

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinics in England provide services for the treatment of solvent abuse.

Caroline Flint: There are currently no clinics in England providing specific services for the treatment of volatile substance abuse (VSA).
	However, young people treatment services work with young people with substance abuse issues including VSA.
	The Department does not centrally collect information about service provisions for treatment of VSA for adults.

Solvent Abuse

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when and where the Government's strategy on volatile substance abuse will be announced.

Caroline Flint: The Department is aiming to publish the volatile substance abuse framework shortly.

Speech Therapists

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many speech therapists there have been per 100,000 (a) adults and (b) children in each of the last 10 years.

Liam Byrne: The table shows the ratio of speech and language therapists per 100,000 population under 18 years old and over 18 in each year since 1995.
	The number of speech and language therapists per 100,000 population has increased from 8.96 in 1995 to 13.1 in 2004. 
	
		National health service hospital and community health services: qualified speech and language therapeutic staff in England as at 30 September each yearby headcount and per 100,000 people in England -- Headcount
		
			  1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 
		
		
			 Total Speech and Language Therapists 4,335 4,705 4,871 5,031 5,185 
			   
			 Estimated England population 48,383,500 48,519,100 48,664,800 48,820,600 49,032,900 
			 Estimated England population under 18 11,113,600 11,183,600 11,214,000 11,207,200 11,209,800 
			 Estimated England population 18 and over 37,269,900 37,335,500 37,450,800 37,613,300 37,823,100 
			   
			 Speech and Language Therapists per 100,000 people 8.96 9.70 10.01 10.31 10.57 
			   
			 Speech and Language Therapists per 100,000 people under 18 39.01 42.07 43.44 44.89 46.25 
			   
			 Speech and Language Therapists per 100,000 people 18 and over 11.63 12.60 13.01 13.38 13.71 
		
	
	
		Headcount
		
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Total Speech and Language Therapists 5,430 5,685 5,960 6,243 6,556 
			   
			 Estimated England population 49,233,300 49,449,700 49,646,900 49,855,700 50,056,900 
			 Estimated England population under 18 11,177,100 11,145,800 11,117,900 11,082,200 n/a 
			 Estimated England population 18 and over 38,056,200 38,303,900 38,529,000 38,773,500 n/a 
			   
			 Speech and Language Therapists per 100,000 people 11.03 11.50 12.00 12.52 13.10 
			   
			 Speech and Language Therapists per 100,000 people under 18 48.58 51.01 53.61 56.33 n/a 
			   
			 Speech and Language Therapists per 100,000 people 18 and over 14.27 14.84 15.47 16.10 n/a 
		
	
	n/a = not available.
	Notes:
	1.Population figures are rounded to the nearest 100 and totals may not equal sum of component parts
	2.2004 component data are not available
	Source:
	Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census
	Office for National Statistics

Water Fluoridation

John Butterfill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the report of the World Health Organisation in 2002 concerning the findings of the US National Toxicology Programme relating to rates of osteosarcoma among young males living in fluoridated areas.

Caroline Flint: We are aware that, on 6 June, a research organisation in the United States, the Environmental Working Group, published a press release asking the National Toxicology Program of the National Institutes of Health to list fluoride in tap water in its report on carcinogens, based on its ability to cause a rare form of childhood bone cancer, osteosarcoma. The request refers to a doctoral thesis completed in 2001 by a student at Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
	The systematic review of water fluoridation undertaken by the University of York identified over 3,000 reports of research projects on fluoridation of which 735 met their criteria for inclusion in their study. The researchers did not find any evidence of an association between water fluoridation and bone cancer, but we are not complacent and are committed to strengthening the evidence base. In this context, we have been informed by the oral health division of the Centers for Disease Control that the author of the thesis has invited them to review her findings as part of the peer review process conducted before a research study is published. We have asked to be kept informed.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Airguns

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have taken place against persons who have sold an air weapon to a person under 17 years in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: The information contained on the Home Office Court Proceeding database shows that in England and Wales from 1999 to 2003, there was one prosecution (in 1999) for selling or letting on hire a firearm to a person under 17 (Firearms Act 1968, sec. 24(1) Group III air weapons). Statistics on court proceedings for 2004 will be published in the autumn.

Alcohol (Crime/Disorder Zones)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has commissioned into the effects of designated alcohol disorder zones; and how these zones will be enforced.

Hazel Blears: We will monitor the use and impact of alcohol disorder zones once the Violent Crime Reduction Bill has completed its parliamentary passage, and come into force. We will be consulting stakeholders over the summer about the detail of how alcohol disorder zones would work in practice, including enforcement issues.

Alcohol (Crime/Disorder Zones)

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on police campaigns to tackle alcohol-related crime in each year from 1997.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office do not centrally collect information on how much is spent on police campaigns to tackle alcohol-related crime. Each force will have its own arrangements in place for resourcing alcohol-misuse enforcement activity.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued to people aged under (a) 10 years, (b) 11 years, (c) 12 years, (d) 13 years, (e) 14 years, (f) 15 years, (g) 16 years, (h) 17 years and (i) 18 years in each London borough since 1999.

Hazel Blears: The information is given in the following table.
	
		The number of ASBOs issued at all courts, as reported to the Home Office, where restrictions were imposed within Greater London local government authority areas, from 1 April 1999 to 30 September 2004 (latest available).
		
			   Age at issue of ASBO 
			 Area Total issued 10(31) 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 
		
		
			 Greater London 109   1 6 11 26 29 27 
			 Of which:  
			 From 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000 by pfa(32) 9 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 From 1 June 2000 to 30 September 2004 by local government authority area:  
			 Barnet 3  1  2 
			 Bexley 6 1  1   1 1 3 
			 Brent 4  1 1 2 
			 Bromley 3  1 1 1 
			 Camden 7 1 1  1 1 4 1  
			 Croydon 6  2 3 1 
			 Ealing 9 1 2  1 2 1 2 3 
			 Greenwich 7  1   1 1 5  
			 Hackney 5 1   1  1 1 2 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3 1 1  1 1   1 
			 Havering 1   1  
			 Hillingdon 22 
			 Hounslow 3   2 1 
			 Islington 2  1 1  
			 Kensington and Chelsea Royal Borough 1  1   
			 Kingston-on-Thames 1  1   
			 Lewisham 5  2 2 1 
			 Merton 5  1   1 1 3  
			 Newham 2 1   1   1  
			 Richmond upon Thames 5  2   2 2  1 
			 Southwark 6 1 2  1 2 2  1 
			 Sutton 4  2 1 1 
			 Tower Hamlets 2   1 1 
			 Waltham Forest 4  1 1 2 
			 Wandsworth 2  1   1   1 
			 Westminster 2   1 1 
		
	
	n/a = not available.
	(31)ASBOs are available only to persons aged 10 years or over.
	(32)Between 1 April 1999 and 31 May 2000 data were collected on aggregate numbers only by police force area.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued to (a) girls and (b) boys under 16 years in each London borough in each year since 1999.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the following table.
	
		The number of ASBOs issued at all courts to persons age10 to 15 years, as reported to the Home Office, by sex and by period, where restrictions were imposed within Greater London local government authority areas, from 1 June 2000(33) to 30 September 2004 (latest available).
		
			  1 June 2000 to 31 December 2000 2001 
			 Area Female Male Female Male 
		
		
			 Barnet 
			 Bexley  2   
			 Brent 
			 Bromley  1   
			 Camden  3   
			 Croydon 
			 Ealing 
			 Greenwich 
			 Hackney1 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 
			 Islington 
			 Kensington and Chelsea Royal Borough 
			 Kingston-on-Thames 
			 Lewisham2 
			 Merton 
			 Newham1 
			 Richmond upon Thames 
			 Southwark 
			 Sutton  2   
			 Waltham Forest 
			 Wandsworth 
			 Total  8  4 
		
	
	
		
			  2002 2003 
			 Area Female Male Female Male 
		
		
			 Barnet 
			 Bexley 
			 Brent1 
			 Bromley 
			 Camden   1 1 
			 Croydon1 
			 Ealing 
			 Greenwich   1 1 
			 Hackney1 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 
			 Islington1 
			 Kensington and Chelsea Royal Borough 
			 Kingston-on-Thames1 
			 Lewisham 
			 Merton 
			 Newham 
			 Richmond upon Thames 
			 Southwark   1 3 
			 Sutton 
			 Waltham Forest 
			 Wandsworth 
			 Total   3 10 
		
	
	
		
			  1 January 2004 to 30 September 2004 
			 Area Female Male Total issued 
		
		
			 Barnet  1 1 
			 Bexley   2 
			 Brent   1 
			 Bromley  1  
			 Camden  1 6 
			 Croydon  1 1 
			 Ealing  4 4 
			 Greenwich   2 
			 Hackney   2 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham  2 2 
			 Islington   1 
			 Kensington and Chelsea Royal Borough  1 1 
			 Kingston-on-Thames   1 
			 Lewisham   2 
			 Merton  2 2 
			 Newham   1 
			 Richmond upon Thames  4 4 
			 Southwark  1 5 
			 Sutton   2 
			 Waltham Forest  1 1 
			 Wandsworth  1 1 
			 Total  19 44 
		
	
	(33)Between 1 April 1999 and 31 May 2000 data were collected on aggregate numbers only by police force area (pfa). During this period a total of nine ASBOs were issued within Greater London pfa.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the (a) number and (b) application of antisocial behaviour orders in Hemel Hempstead constituency.

Hazel Blears: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) have been available to the courts since one April 1999. From commencement up to 31 May 2000 data were collected, on aggregate numbers only, by police force area. From copies of the orders received, since 1 June 2000, we are able to determine the local government authority areas in which restrictions are imposed. The number of ASBOs issued, as notified to the Home Office, in the local government authority area of Dacorum borough council, in which the Hemel Hempstead constituency is situated, from 1 June 2000 to 30 September 2005 (latest available) is seven. It is for local agencies to decide upon the application of ASBOs across the Dacorum borough council area as part of their overall strategy to reduce antisocial behaviour.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many under 16-year-olds have breached the terms of their antisocial behaviour orders.

Hazel Blears: Of those antisocial behaviour orders reported to the Home Office as having been issued between 1 June 2000 and 31 December 2003, 199 were breached by persons aged under 16. Breach data for 2004 will be available towards the end of the year.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of antisocial behaviour orders have been breached; and how many of those concerned were given a custodial sentence.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 22 June 2005
	Of the 1,892 antisocial behaviour orders reported to the Home Office as having been issued between 1 June 2000 and 31 December 2003, 793 or 42 per cent. were breached at least once in the same period. Of these, 437 or 55 per cent. resulted in a custodial sentence either on the first or later occasion. Breach data for 2004 will be available towards the end of the year.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in (a) the Dyfed Powys Constabulary and (b) the Ceredigion constituency in each year since their introduction.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the table.
	
		Number of ASBOs issued at all courts, as reported to the Home Office, within the Dyfed Powys criminal justice system area, and where restrictions have been imposed in the local government authority area of Ceredigion county council, by period, from 1 April 1999 to 30 September 2004(34)
		
			   Dyfed Powys(35) Ceredigion county council(36) 
		
		
			 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000(37)   
			 1 June to 31 December 2000   
			 2001   
			 2002   
			 2003 11 8 
			 1 January to 30 September 2004 7  
			 Total 18 8 
		
	
	(34)Latest available.
	(35)Dyfed Powys criminal justice system area is coterminous with Dyfed Powys police force area.
	(36)Unitary authority area in which restrictions are imposed.
	4Between 1 April 1999 and 31 May 2000 data were collected on aggregate numbers only by police force area.

Asset Recovery Scheme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent officers have been engaged by each police authority area in asset recovery in each year since the introduction of asset recovery listed in descending order.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 27 June 2005
	The number of asset recovery financial investigators in each police authority area in 200304 is set out in the table. These are the latest data available. The Home Office is funding 88 financial investigator posts on asset recovery in police forces at a cost of 2.6 million a year from 200203 to 200506. The Home Office is also funding five Multi-Agency Regional Asset Recovery Teams at a cost of up to 12 million per year.
	
		Number of financial investigators in Police Financial Investigation Units (200304)
		
			  Number of financial investigators 
		
		
			 Metropolitan Police Service 47 
			 Greater Manchester Police 14.33 
			 Avon and Somerset 13.4 
			 Merseyside 12.75 
			 City of London Police 11.6 
			 Thames Valley Police 10 
			 West Midlands 10 
			 West Yorkshire 9 
			 Cambridgeshire 8.5 
			 Hampshire 8 
			 Norfolk 8 
			 Staffordshire 8 
			 Northumbria 7 
			 South Wales 7 
			 South Yorkshire 7 
			 Devon and Cornwall 6.7 
			 Bedfordshire 6 
			 Essex 6 
			 Gloucestershire 6 
			 Hertfordshire 6 
			 Kent 6 
			 Lancashire 6 
			 Nottinghamshire 6 
			 Warwickshire 6 
			 West Mercia 6 
			 Wiltshire 6 
			 Sussex 5.5 
			 Derbyshire 5 
			 Humberside 5 
			 Leicestershire 5 
			 North Yorkshire 5 
			 Surrey 5 
			 British Transport Police 5 
			 Cheshire 4.75 
			 Dorset 4 
			 Dyfed-Powys 4 
			 Gwent 4 
			 North Wales 4 
			 Lincolnshire 3.3 
			 Cleveland 3 
			 Northamptonshire 3 
			 Suffolk 3 
			 Durham 2.5 
			 Cumbria 2 
			 Ministry of Defence 1 
			 Total 321.33

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of failed asylum seekers in the UK.

Tony McNulty: Information on the total number of asylum seekers currently in the UK, including failed asylum seekers, is not available. This could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records. In addition some applicants may leave the United Kingdom without informing the Immigration Service. E-borders and ID cards will enable us to monitor this more precisely in the future. The Home Office published on 30 June, the outcome of the assessment of the applicability to the UK of the methods used by researchers and Government agencies in other countries to estimate the size of the illegal population. The methods had been identified in the report by the Migration Research Unit (MRU) of University College London on Sizing the Illegally Resident Population in the UK. A copy of the RDS On-line report 29/05Sizing the unauthorised (illegal) migrant population in the United Kingdom in 2001 can be found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/notes/june_summaries.html. As in other countries, the number of unauthorised or illegal migrantsincluding failed asylum seekersin the UK is unknown. The MRU report published last year reviewed the methods used in other countries and assessed their viability for use in the UK. That report suggested that a method which could be applied in the UK is the residual method used in the United States. The new report details how that method has been applied in the UK. It must be emphasised that, while this method is one that can be used with data available for the UK, over-reliance must not be placed on this result in the absence of the means to produce other estimates using different methods.

Asylum Seekers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are followed when an illegal asylum seeker is detected inside UK borders.

Tony McNulty: The Immigration Nationality Directorate (IND) does not recognise the term illegal asylum seeker. It is not illegal to seek asylum. However, a proportion of those who enter or remain in the United Kingdom illegally will subsequently seek asylum. IND will treat as an offender liable to be removed any person who has entered the United Kingdom without permission or who has obtained permission to enter the country by deception or who has overstayed. However, where a person states that they have a fear of return to their country of origin and claims asylum, the application is considered in the light of all the known circumstances before any action to remove is undertaken. Illegal entrants and overstayers are liable to detention or may be granted temporary admission with conditions to reside at a particular address and report regularly to an immigration reporting centre while their asylum claim is under consideration.

Asylum Seekers

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list complaints made by asylum detainees against escort services to and from Yarl's Wood and Oakington in the last six months, broken down by (a) source and (b) date; and what the (i) outcomes and (ii) dates of the outcomes of the investigations into these complaints were.

Tony McNulty: For reasons of confidentiality it is not possible to list by name the complaints received. In the last six months, 10 complaints were received from asylum detainees against escort services to and from Yarl's Wood and Oakington. Of these, three were received in January, one in March, two in April, and four in May. Eight of these cases have been referred to the police as the allegation was one of assault. In all of these eight cases the police investigation is still ongoing. In the remaining two cases the Escorting Contract Monitor for the UK Immigration Services carried out an internal investigation into the conduct of the escorts. Both complaints were found to be unsubstantiated.

Asylum Seekers

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been made by detainees about their treatment by escort services to and from Yarl's Wood detention centre in the last six months.

Tony McNulty: In the last six months, 11 complaints have been received from detainees about their treatment by escort services to and from Yarl's Wood.

Asylum Seekers

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for asylum were received from Zimbabwean nationals in (a) 2000, (b) 2001, (c) 2002, (d) 2003 and (e) 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Information on asylum applications for nationals of Zimbabwe are published quarterly and annually. The information requested is published in the annual bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 2003, and (data for 2004) Asylum Statistics: 4th Quarter 2004 United Kingdom. Copies are available from the Library and on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Asylum Seekers

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers have been sent back to Zimbabwe in the past 18 months.

Tony McNulty: Information on the destination for the removal of failed asylum seekers have only been available since the beginning of 2004. The latest published information on removal of asylum seekers covers the first quarter of 2005.In the 15 months from January 2004 until March 2005 195 principal asylum applicants were removed to Zimbabwe. A further 15 dependants of asylum seekers were removed to Zimbabwe in the same time period. These figures include people departing voluntarily after enforcement action has been initiated against them and people leaving under Assisted Voluntary Returns programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration. Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. Information on removals of asylum seekers for the second quarter of 2005 will be published in August on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Asylum Seekers

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers are on hunger strike in Harmondsworth detention centre.

Tony McNulty: As of the evening of 3 July, there were 16 detainees who were refusing food at Harmondsworth removal centre.

British Citizens/Subjects

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the differences are between a British citizen and a British subject; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: All British citizens have the right of abode in the United Kingdom, and all are deemed to be nationals of the United Kingdom for the purposes of the Treaty Establishing the European Community. Most British subjects do not have the right of abode in the United Kingdom, but some do on the basis of a pre-1983 marital or ancestral connection with this country. British subjects who do have the right of abode here are deemed to be nationals of the United Kingdom for European Community purposes. Other distinctions may stem from statutory or non-statutory rules for which the Home Office is not responsible, or from the laws of other countries.

British Citizens/Subjects

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what travel regulations apply to British subjects married to British citizens.

Tony McNulty: A British subject who is not expressed by the Immigration Act 1971 to have the right of abode in the United Kingdom is subject to control under the Act. The requirements applicable to such a person seeking to join a spouse who is present and settled in the United Kingdom are in part eight of Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 395. Such travel regulations may be imposed on British subjects by any other state are, subject to any international agreements it may have entered into, a matter entirely for that state.

Bus Drivers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many bus drivers were charged with (a) drink driving, (b) speeding and (c) operating a mobile phone while driving in London in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: Information on the number of persons charged by the police by type of offence is not collected centrally.

CCTV (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the funding for CCTV in Lancashire.

Hazel Blears: Lancashire will receive 3,189,361 from Home Office crime reduction funding streams in the financial year 200506. Crime reduction funding is allocated directly to the local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) through the Building Safer Communities Fund and to Basic Command Unit (BCU) Commanders through the BCU fund. These funding streams finance a variety of projects and interventions, including CCTV, to tackle local crime priorities. It is open to the CDRPs and BCU Commanders in Lancashire to decide whether to include CCTV projects in their spending plans and local crime reduction priorities.

Community Support Officers

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the extra community support officers that the Government have proposed to recruit by 2008 are to be posted in London; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: At the end of March 2005 there were 6,300 CSOs in England and Wales. Of these, 2,143 were deployed by the Metropolitan police. We are providing significant, additional resources through the Neighbourhood Policing Fund (NPF) to support an increase in the numbers of CSOs to 24,000 by 2008. This investment will help forces deliver the commitment that by 2008 every area of the country will benefit from dedicated neighbourhood policing teams. We will announce later in the year, following discussions with the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities, what NPF funding will be allocated for each police authority. It will be for the commissioner to determine the deployment of CSOs within the Metropolitan police.

Community Support Officers

Patrick McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police community support officers there are in Wolverhampton; and how many there are in the constituencies of Wolverhampton (a) South East, (b) South West and (c) North East.

Hazel Blears: Information on community support officer strength is not collected at constituency level. The Home Office Police Service Strength Statistical Bulletin, which will be published later this month , will provide data on the number of community support officers (CSOs) in each force at 31 March 2005.

Community Support Officers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers are (a) on duty, (b) being trained and (c) to be trained in 200506 in Lancashire.

Hazel Blears: This information is not collected centrally. The training and deployment of Community Support Officers (CSOs) is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. The Home Office Police Service Strength Statistical Bulletin, which will be published later this month, will provide data on the number of CSOs at 31 March 2005.

Community Support Officers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the working structure is between police community support officers and local community wardens in Chorley.

Hazel Blears: This information is not held centrally. The deployment of community support officers, including joint working with community wardens and other members of the extended policing family, is an operational matter for the chief constable.

Crime

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of crime was (a) alcohol-related and (b) drug-related in each of the last three years.

Hazel Blears: Routine crime statistics used for monitoring overall crime trends do not contain information on the offender's drinking or drug habits. It is therefore not possible to provide an estimate of the proportion of all crime that is either alcohol-related or drug-related. However, there is some information available on this area.
	(a) The 2003 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey (OCJS) is a large scale nationally representative self-report offending survey of 10 to 65-year-olds living in private household in England and Wales. In the 2003 OCJS one in 10 incidents reported (10 per cent.) were committed when the offender had taken alcohol. Across offences as a whole, 6 per cent. of offenders said what happened was at least partly due to being drunk, when asked for their motivation for offending. A much higher proportion of criminal damage incidents (26 per cent.) and vehicle related thefts (16 per cent.) were attributed to drunkenness than violent incidents (7 per cent).
	(b) Most crime by drug users is acquisitive crime. The Home Office sponsored New English and Welsh Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (NEW-ADAM) survey, which involved interviewing and drug testing those arrested by the police, provides an insight into the proportion of crimes that are drug related. In interviews carried out between 1999 and 2001, 31 per cent. of all arrestees included in the survey and 43 per cent. of those held for property offences tested positive for opiates, such as heroin. However, this survey is not nationally representative. A new Arrestee Survey is currently being undertaken which will provide nationally representative information on the proportion of crime that is drug-related in the future.

Crime

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent crimes there were in Hemel Hempstead constituency for each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is given in the tables. Hemel Hempstead comes within the Dacorum Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area and data at CDRP level has only been collected from 19992000. Since 1997, there have been two major changes to the way in which crime is recorded. The effect of the change in counting rules in 1998 was to artificially increase recorded violent crime nationally by more than 80 per cent. while it is estimated that the effect of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in April 2002 caused a further 20 per cent. increase in recorded violent crime in its first year.
	
		Table 1: Recorded offences of violent crime in the Dacorum Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area 19992000 to 200102
		
			  Number of violent crimes 
		
		
			 19992000 555 
			 200001 607 
			 200102 656 
		
	
	Note:
	The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	
		Table 2: Recorded offences of violent crime in the Dacorum Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area 200203 and 200304
		
			  Number of violent crimes 
		
		
			 200203 927 
			 200304 1,604 
		
	
	Note:
	The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Crime

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent crimes were reported in Hertfordshire in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the tables. Since 1997, there have been two major changes to the way in which crime is recorded. The effect of the change in counting rules in 1998 was to artificially increase recorded violent crime nationally by more than 80 per cent., while it is estimated that the effect of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in April 2002 caused a further 20 per cent. increase in recorded violent crime in its first year.
	
		Table 1: Violent crimes(37) recorded by the police in Hertfordshire, 1997 to 200102
		
			  Number of offences 
		
		
			 1997 2,890 
			 199899(38) 3,884 
			 19992000 4,471 
			 200001 5,390 
			 200102 5,777 
		
	
	(37)Includes offences of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery.
	(38)Using the expanded coverage and revised counting rules which came into effect on 1 April1998.
	Note:
	The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years
	
		Table 2: Violent crimes(39) recorded by the police in Hertfordshire, 200203 and 200304
		
			  Number of offences 
		
		
			 200203 9,082 
			 200304 13,972 
		
	
	(39)Includes offences of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery.
	Note:
	The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years

Crime

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of reported crimes in Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland were classified as (a) violent crimes and (b) distraction burglaries in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The available information relates to the Middlesbrough Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area. The proportion of all recorded offences which were violent crimes was 8 per cent. in 200102, 13 per cent. in 200203 and 16 per cent. in 200304. Figures for earlier years are not available. Because of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in April 2002, violent crime figures before and after that date are not directly comparable. It is estimated that the effect of the introduction nationally of the NCRS in April 2002 was a 20 per cent. increase in recorded violent crime in its first year. Distraction burglary figures are only available for 200304 and show that such offences accounted for 0.2 per cent. of all recorded crime in the Middlesbrough CDRP.

Crime

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the clear-up rates for (a) burglary, (b) robbery, (c) violent crime, (d) car crime and (e) sexual offences were in the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in the last year for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: The available information relates to the Hammersmith and Fulham Basic Command Unit and is given in the table.
	
		Clear-up rates for selected offences in the Hammersmith and Fulham Basic Command Unit200304
		
			 Offence Percentage cleared up 
		
		
			 Domestic burglary 8 
			 Robbery 11 
			 Violent crime(40) 24 
			 Theft of a vehicle 10 
			 Theft from a vehicle 1 
			 Sexual offences 22 
		
	
	(40)Comprises of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery.

Crime

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) agencies and (b) partnerships responsible for the reduction of crime in the Wycombe constituency.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 23 June 2005
	The partnership responsible for the reduction of crime and disorder under the provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 as amended by the Police Reform Act 2002 in the Wycombe constituency is the Wycombe Community Safety Partnership. The partnership consists of the statutory agencies named as responsible authorities in the Act, namely Wycombe district council, Buckinghamshire county council, Thames Valley police, Thames Valley police authority, Wycombe primary care trust and Buckinghamshire fire and rescue service. In addition, the following agencies form part of the Wycombe Community Safety Partnership; Buckinghamshire Drug Action Team, Thames Valley Probation Service, Wycombe Youth Offending Service, Crimestoppers and The Priory Centre.

Crime

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what crime detection rates have been in Wales in each year since the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard, broken down by police force area.

Hazel Blears: The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced in April 2002 and the detection rates since that date are given in the following table.
	
		Detection rates for recorded crime in Wales
		
			  Percentage of offences detected (41) 
			 Police force area 200203 200304 
		
		
			 Dyfed-Powys 68 47 
			 Gwent 48 45 
			 North Wales 29 33 
			 South Wales 29 29 
			 Wales 36 35 
		
	
	(41)Changes in detection rates may have been influenced by ongoing effects of audits of the National Crime Recording Standard.

Criminal Assets

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria he used to decide the amount given to each police force from the extra 13 million in funding under the asset recovery incentive scheme.

Hazel Blears: As agreed with the Association of Chief Police Officers, incentive payments were based on the performance of each force in 200405 in the recovery of criminal assets. The amount given to each force was determined by their percentage contribution to the total value of cash forfeitures and confiscation orders obtained by the police service in 200405.

Criminal Offences

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminal offences have been created in legislation sponsored by his Department since May 1997; and how many have been abolished.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office does not keep a central record of all the criminal offences that it has created or abolished. The latest information available shows that between one May 1997 and January 2004, the Home Office created 357 new criminal offences. This figure includes offences which have been modified or re-enacted.

Disorder Penalty Notices

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many penalty notices for disorder for throwing objects at trains have been issued by the (a) Metropolitan police and (b) British Transport police in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: In the period 1 January 2004 to 30 April 2005, the latest date for which figures are available, the number of penalty notices for disorder issued for throwing stones or things likely to cause damage or injury at trains is (a) six by the Metropolitan police and (b) two by the British Transport police. The British Transport police have yet to fully implement use of penalty notices nationally.

DNA Records

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many DNA records were held by each police force in England in each of the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by (a) gender and (b) ethnicity; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The information requested will be placed in the Library.

Dog Theft

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of dog theft; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: There is no national strategy to counter dog theft. Where this emerges as a pressing local crime issue, it would be for the police, in consultation with the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, to take appropriate action.

Domestic Violence

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) women and (b) men have been recorded as victims of domestic violence in each of the last five years, broken down by age.

Hazel Blears: Domestic violence is not separately identified in recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office. Figures are available within the suite of Strategic Performance Indicators for the police, relating to domestic violence incidents notified by police forces in England and Wales, however this is whether or not they are subsequently recorded as crimes. The British Crime Survey (BCS) routinely provides information on the number of incidents of domestic violence against men and women (but not on the actual number of victims), but this is not broken down by age (see the following table). The 200304 BCS estimated that there were, in total, 298,000 incidents of domestic violence against women in England and Wales, and 150,000 against men. The number of incidents of domestic violence as measured by the BCS has decreased by 42 per cent. from 1999 to 200304 BCS interviews. The BCS figures are estimates only. As they are derived from a sample they are subject to sampling error, also the context of the face-to-face BCS interview means the estimates are certain to be underestimates of the true extent due to the fact that some respondents may be unwilling to reveal experience of domestic violence to interviewers. To address this, self-completion components for those aged 1659 on domestic violence have been included in the 1996, 2001, 200405, and 200506 BCS. Results from the 2001 BCS self-completion module on domestic violence were published in Home Office Research Study No. 276, deposited in the Library. This more confidential approach to measurement, revealed prevalence (percentage of population victim at least once) rates for last year domestic assault that were approximately five times higher than in the main face-to-face BCS. This report also provides the prevalence risk of domestic violence for men and women by age group (Table 5.12). This showed that risk of victimisation generally decreased with age, for both men and women.
	
		Number of BCS incidents of domestic violence,1999 to 200304England and Wales -- Thousand
		
			  1999 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 Women 560 514 366 298 
			 Men 194 122 135 150 
		
	
	Source:
	2000, 200102, 200203 and 200304 British Crime Surveys

Domestic Violence

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women have been (i) charged with and (ii) convicted of assault involving domestic violence in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what proportion were given a custodial sentence in each year.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 23 June 2005
	Statistics on the number of persons charged with an offence are not collected centrally. Offences involving domestic violence are not identifiable on the Home Office Court Proceedings database as no specific statute covers such offences. Prosecutions brought might range from common assault to homicide depending on the level of violence, and as the circumstances of the offences for which prosecutions are brought are not collected centrally, offences involving domestic violence cannot be distinguished from other offences within these categories. However, we have now developed a new Key Diagnostic Indicator with the Crown Prosecution Service that will complement the new Compass Case Management System, to track domestic violence cases. This new indicator was implemented in April 2005.

Drugs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to tackle the sale of drugs (a) on streets and (b) in nightclubs.

Paul Goggins: The Government's strategy is to intervene at all points in the drug supply chain. To this end ithas established a framework within which the police and other enforcement agencies deal with drugs supply, through the National Drugs Strategy, the National Policing Plan and the Police Performance Assessment Frameworkhas provided record funding to police forces to enable them to carry out their responsibilities. Expenditure on policing supported by Government grant or spent centrally on services for the police has increased by 39 per cent. or over 3 billion between 200001 and 200506plans to spend 1.5 billion in support of the National Drugs Strategy in 200506has created the Serious Organised Crime Agency to tackle organised and sophisticated criminal gangs who supply street dealers, and has put in place, through the Drugs Act 2005, additional powers to make it even more difficult for street dealers to avoid justice. Additionally the Government, in partnership with ACPO and others, actively promote best practice in policing drugs markets including issuing guidance for club owners and local authority licensing departments on drugs and nightclubs.

Engagements

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Minister for Immigration's official engagements are for Thursday 30 June.

Tony McNulty: I had several official engagements with ministerial colleagues and others on Thursday 30 June.

Firearms Offences

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted of offences under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 for carrying a replica or imitation firearm, broken down by (a) year and (b) police authority; and what the average sentence given for this offence was.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 30 June 2005
	Offences under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, section 37 came into force on 20 January 2004. Statistics of court proceedings for 2004 will be published in the autumn.

Firearms Offences

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will introduce a statutory definition of lethality in firearms legislation in relation to the definition of a firearm as a lethal-barrelled weapon;
	(2)  if he will introduce a limit of one joule of muzzle energy as the statutory limit to which firearms legislation should apply;
	(3)  when the Government's response to the Home Office Firearms Consultation 2004 will be published; and if he will ensure that future firearms legislation is based on its findings.

Hazel Blears: We received around 4,500 responses to the consultation paper on firearms controls. These have all been read and analysed and we are considering how we want to proceed. A summary of responses will be published. The need for a statutory definition of lethality linked to one joule of muzzle energy, or any other changes, will be considered in this context.

Gun and Drug Crime

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has commissioned into the link between gun and drug crime.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office sponsored New English and Welsh Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (NEW-ADAM) survey, which involved interviewing and drug testing those arrested by the police, included questions on carrying guns. A paper based on the data has been published by T H Bennett and K Holloway, Possession and use of illegal guns among criminals in England and Wales (Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, Vol 43, No three, pp 237252). The Home Office has also conducted an arrestee survey which may highlight this issue. The results of this survey will be published later this year. There have also been discussions in the context of the Home Secretary's round table on gun crime, which has looked at possible links and appropriate interventions. This research is used to inform policy and legislative proposals. The Violent Crime Reduction Bill includes a number of measures designed to further tighten the firearms legislation, including a ban on the manufacture, import or sale of realistic imitation firearms, an increase from a maximum of six to 12 months sentence for carrying an imitation firearm in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, and an increase in the minimum age for possession of an air weapon to 18. The Bill also includes a new offence of using another person to look after, hide or transport a dangerous weapon. These measures complement existing legislation and demonstrate our determination to tackle gun crime.

Happy Slapping

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of the practice known as 'happy slapping' were reported to the police in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally. An offence captured by the practice known as 'happy slapping' would be recorded according to how it is defined in law i.e. common assault, actual bodily harm etc.

Illegal Immigration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants found within UK borders since 1997 have been convicted under the terrorism laws.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not available. It would be disproportionate to require the police and courts to obtain, verify and record this information in all cases. Information on nationality and immigration status can be a key part of the investigation of terrorist offences and the police and immigration service work closely together in these cases. The available evidence suggests that only a small number of foreign nationals, asylum seekers or refugees commit serious crimes. Statistics on the operation of the Prevention of Terrorism legislation from 1979 to 2001 are available on the Research and Statistics section of the Home Office website. Statistics since 11 September 2001, under the Terrorism Act 2000 are also available. These can be found in the terrorism section of the Home Office website.

Indefinite Leave to Remain

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects all families who have applied for indefinite leave to remain under the one-off exercise to allow families who have been in theUK for at least three years to stay to be informed of the decision.

Tony McNulty: It is not possible to provide a precise time scale of when all those currently being considered under the exercise will have had a decision made on their case. The time it takes to reach a decision depends both on individual circumstances and on the number of cases in the consideration process. Sometimes people do not complete the Family ILR Exercise Questionnaire properly, or fail to provide the documentation requested. The checks we conduct on potentially eligible applicants can also take some time to complete, depending on individual circumstances. We also encounter a number of complex cases that can take some time to resolve. The main factor, though, which makes providing a meaningful completion date for the exercise difficult, is the substantial number of cases we still have to consider. In addition, cases we had not previously identified for consideration under the exercise continue to come to light which we are also required to respond to. We are hoping to have completed consideration of the majority of cases by the end of April 2006. Key statistics relating to the Family ILR Exercise were published as part of the quarterly asylum statistics on 17 May. These show the current status of the exercise up to and including 31 March 2005 and are available to the public on the Home Office (HO) Research Development and Statistics (RDS) website. The full web address is:www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html. These statistics will be updated in August to cover the second quarter of 2005.

Knives in School

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of school age children bringing knives or other offensive weapons into schools were (a) reported to the police and (b) resulted in prosecution or caution in each year between 1997 and 2005.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office collects recorded crime data on offences of possession of offensive weapons. Within that offence classification, there are two offences relating to possession of a blade or other offensive weapon on school premises. However, these offences cannot be separately identified from other possession of weapons offences. The Court Proceedings Database holds details of number of defendants proceeded against and cautioned and these figures are given in the table. Figures for 2004 and 2005 are not yet available.
	
		Number of persons cautioned and proceeded against at magistrates courts for certain offences relating to kniveson school premisesEngland and Wales 1997 to 20031
		
			   Persons cautioned 
			 Statute Offence description 1997 1998 1999 20002 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Criminal Justice Act 1988 Sec 139A(1)(5)(a) added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 Sec 4(1) Having an article with blade or point on school premises(44) 11 30 22 36 48 46 40 
			 Criminal Justice Act 1988 Sec 139A(2)(5)(b) added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 Sec 4(1) Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse on school premises 19 31 28 40 46 29 60 
		
	
	
		
			   Persons proceeded against 
			 Statute Offence description 1997 1998 1999 20002 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Criminal Justice Act 1988 Sec 139A(1)(5)(a) added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 Sec 4(1) Having an article with blade or point on school premises(44) 23 21 10 19 25 22 25 
			 Criminal Justice Act 1988 Sec 139A(2)(5)(b) added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 Sec 4(1) Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse on school premises 8 15 18 13 18 21 20 
		
	
	(42)These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(43)Staffordshire police were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts in 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.
	(44)Data excluded for West Mercia PFA, until clarification of these cases is obtained.

Licensing Act

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in each (a) petty sessional division area and (b) police authority area have been (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted under (A) section 172, (B) section 172A and (C) section 173 of the Licensing Act 1964 in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Statistics from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database on the number of people prosecuted and convicted under sections 172, 172A and 173 of the Licensing Act 1964, England and Wales, 19972003 are contained in the tables, broken down by police force area and petty sessional area. Statistics for 2004 will be available in the autumn. From 4 April 2005 the offence under section 172(3) of the Licensing Act 1964 (selling alcohol to a drunken person) became one for which penalty notices for disorder (PND) are available. Provisional data reported to the Home Office in April, latest available, shows that four PNDs were issued for this offence.
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and convicted at all courts for certain offences under theLicensing Act 1964, by petty sessional area, 19972003(45)
		
			1997 1998 1999 
			  Offence description  Principal statute  Petty sessional area Proceeded against Found guilty Proceeded against Found guilty Proceeded against Found guilty 
		
		
			 Permitting drunkenness Licensing Act 1964 S.172 West Berkshire   
			 or riotous conduct on the  Beaconsfield and High  
			 premises or selling liquor  Wycombe 1  
			 to a drunken person  Cambridge   
			   Huntingdonshire 1  
			   Plymouth District   
			   Central Devon   
			   Carlisle and District   
			   Whitehaven 1  
			   Manchester 1 1 
			   Oldham   1 1   
			   Southampton   6 2   
			   New Forest 1 1 
			   South East Hampshire   
			   South Hampshire   
			   Severnminster 2 2 
			   Central Hertfordshire   
			   Isle of Wight 1 1 
			   Medway 1 1 
			   Knowsley   
			   Harrogate   
			   Bow Street   4 4   
			   Greenwich 1  
			   South Central 11 1 
			   Horseferry Road   7 3   
			   Ealing   
			   Haringey   
			   Harrow   
			   Brent 4 3 
			   Rotherham 1 1 
			   Mid-Staffordshire and Rugeley   
			   North and East Surrey 1 1 
			   North West Surrey 2  2 1   
			   South West Surrey   1
			   West Bromwich   
			   Wolverhampton   1
			   Sussex (Western)   
			   Wrexham Maelor 2 2 
			   England and Wales 9 4 22 11 13 10 
		
	
	
		
			1997 1998 1999 
			  Offence description  Principal statute  Petty sessional area Proceeded against Found guilty Proceeded against Found guilty Proceeded against Found guilty 
		
		
			 Relevant person working in licensed premises to permit drunkenness or violent behaviour etc. Licensing Act 1964 S.172A as added by Criminal Justice  Police Act 2001 S. 32 Horseferry Road   
			   England and Wales   
			  
			 Person in licensed premises procuring intoxicating Licensing Act 1964 Sec 173 Licensing (Occasional Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood 2 2 
			 liquor for a drunken person Permissions) Act 1983 S.3 Bow Street   1 1   
			 or aiding a drunken person Sch para 7 South Central 1 1 
			 to obtain drink in licensed  West London 1  
			 premises  Horseferry Road 1  3 2   
			   Stoke-on-Trent   1
			   Warwickshire   
			   England and Wales 3 2 5 3 2 1 
		
	
	
		
			2000 2001 2002 
			  Offence description  Principal statute  Petty sessional area Proceeded against Found guilty Proceeded against Found guilty Proceeded against Found guilty 
		
		
			 Permitting drunkenness or Licensing Act 1964 S.172 West Berkshire 1  
			 riotous conduct on the premises or selling liquor to a  Beaconsfield and High Wycombe   
			 drunken person  Cambridge   1 1   
			   Huntingdonshire   
			   Plymouth District 1 1 
			   Central Devon 2 2 
			   Carlisle and District   1
			   Whitehaven   
			   Manchester 2  
			   Oldham   
			   Southampton   
			   New Forest   
			   South East Hampshire 1  
			   South Hampshire   
			   Severnminster   
			   Central Hertfordshire   2
			   Isle of Wight   
			   Medway   
			   Knowsley   1 1   
			   Harrogate   
			   Bow Street   5 3 1 1 
			   Greenwich   
			   South Central   
			   Horseferry Road 1 1   2  
			   Ealing 1  
			   Haringey 1  
			   Harrow   
			   Brent   
			   Rotherham   
			   Mid-Staffordshire and Rugeley 1  
			   North and East Surrey   
			   North West Surrey   
			   South West Surrey 1  
			   West Bromwich 2 1 
			   Wolverhampton   
			   Sussex (Western)   
			   Wrexham Maelor   
			   England and Wales 10 2 10 5 7 4 
		
	
	
		
			2000 2001 2002 
			  Offence description  Principal statute  Petty sessional area Proceeded against Found guilty Proceeded against Found guilty Proceeded against Found guilty 
		
		
			 Relevant person working in licensed premises to permit drunkenness or violent behaviour etc. Licensing Act 1964 S.172A as added by Criminal Justice  Police Act 2001 S. 32 Horseferry Road 1  
			   England and Wales 1  
			 Person in licensed premises procuring intoxicating liquor Licensing Act 1964 Sec 173 Licensing (Occasional Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood   
			 for a drunken person or Permissions) Act 1983 S.3 Bow Street   
			 aiding a drunken person to Sch para 7 South Central   
			 obtain drink in licensed  West London   
			 premises  Horseferry Road 1  
			   Stoke-on-Trent   
			   Warwickshire   
			   England and Wales 1  
		
	
	
		
			2003 
			  Offence description Principal statute Petty sessional area Proceeded against Found guilty 
		
		
			 Permitting Licensing West Berkshire   
			 drunkenness or riotous conduct on Act 1964 S.172 Beaconsfield and High Wycombe   
			 the premises or  Cambridge 1 1 
			 selling liquor to a  Huntingdonshire   
			 drunken person  Plymouth District   
			   Central Devon   
			   Carlisle and District   
			   Whitehaven   
			   Manchester   
			   Oldham   
			   Southampton   
			   New Forest   
			   South East Hampshire   
			   South Hampshire 2  
			   Severnminster   
			   Central Hertfordshire   
			   Isle of Wight   
			   Medway   
			   Knowsley   
			   Harrogate 1 1 
			   Bow Street 2 2 
			   Greenwich   
			   South Central   
			   Horseferry Road   
			   Ealing   
			   Haringey   
			   Harrow   
			   Brent   
			   Rotherham   
			   Mid-Staffordshire and Rugeley   
			   North and East Surrey   
			   North West Surrey   
			   South West Surrey   
			   West Bromwich   
			   Wolverhampton   
			   Sussex (Western) 1 1 
			   Wrexham Maelor   
			   England and Wales 8 6 
		
	
	
		
			2003 
			  Offence description Principal statute Petty sessional area Proceeded against Found guilty 
		
		
			 Relevant person working in licensed premises to permit drunkenness or violent behaviour etc. Licensing Act 1964 S.172A as added by Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 S.32 Horseferry Road   
			   England and Wales   
			 Person in licensed premises procuring intoxicating liquor Licensing Act 1964 Sec 173 Licensing Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood   
			 for a drunken person (Occasional Bow Street   
			 or aiding a drunken Permissions) South Central   
			 person to obtain Act 1983 S.3 West London   
			 drink in licensed premises Sch para 7 Horseferry Road   
			   Stoke-on-Trent   
			   Warwickshire 1  
			   England and Wales 1  
		
	
	(45)These data are on a principal offence basis
	Source:
	RDSOffice for Criminal Justice Reform

Lunar House

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether the Minister for Immigration will attend the South London Citizens' Inquiry into Lunar house;
	(2)  for what reasons the Minister for Immigration decided not to give evidence to the South London Citizens' Inquiry into Lunar house.

Tony McNulty: The Inquiry is focusing on how the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) provides its services at Lunar house. In the light of this it was more appropriate for officials to attend rather than the Minister. Joanna Place and Jeremy Oppenheim, two of the senior directors in IND attended the Inquiry on 30 June.

Methadone

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the sources of methadone traded illegally.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 28 June 2005
	The Home Office have not conducted any systematic assessment of black market trading in methadone.

Motoring Offences (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people have been prosecuted for driving (a) without a licence, (b) without insurance and (c) without an MOT in each London borough in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many people were prosecuted for having an untaxed vehicle in London in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The following table shows (by London borough) the number of persons proceeded against for failure to produce a driving licence and for using a vehicle uninsured against third party risks. From the Home Office Court Proceedings Database it is not possible to separately identify the specific offence of driving a vehicle without a valid MOT certificate from other vehicle test offences, nor the offence of having an untaxed vehicle from other registration and licence offences.
	
		Number of persons(46) proceeded against for failing toproduce a driving-licence(47) in Greater London bymagistrates court/London borough, 19992003(48)
		
			 London boroughs/magistrates courts 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Inner London magistrates courts (49)  
			 City of London Police  
			 Guildhall Justice Rooms 20 38 31 34 53 
			 Total City of London Police 20 38 31 34 53 
			   
			 Metropolitan police  
			 Bow Street 3 
			 Camberwell Green/Tower Bridge 2 1 1 3  
			 Greenwich and Woolwich 2   4 1 
			 Highbury Corner 5 10 11 12 9 
			 Horseferry Road 16 4 1 1 9 
			 Marylebone 15 2
			 South Western 12 3 1  2 
			 Thames 21 18 12 9 12 
			 West London 2 2 2 2 4 
			   
			 Outer London boroughs  
			 Metropolitan police  
			 Barking and Dagenham 2 1 4 6 6 
			 Barnet5 4 
			 Bexley 1 
			 Brent 3 14 7 3  
			 Bromley 2 5 2 6 4 
			 Croydon 3 1 4 2  
			 Ealing 11 100 6 3  
			 Enfield 9 14 21 14 8 
			 Haringey 5 10 3 1 1 
			 Harrow 15 9 10 17 52 
			 Havering 1 2 3 6 7 
			 Hillingdon 10 12 11 5 6 
			 Hounslow 20 21 17 2  
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 8 9 8 2 3 
			 Merton 3 1 4 1 1 
			 Redbridge 1 3 10 5 5 
			 Richmond upon Thames 8 12 8 7 13 
			 Sutton 1 4  5 2 
			 Waltham Forest 4 1 1 2 5 
			 Total Metropolitan police 182 259 147 123 157 
			 Total Greater London 202 297 178 157 210 
		
	
	(46)Excludes companies, local authorities etc.
	(47)An offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 S.164(1)
	(48)These data are on a principal offence basis
	(49)Information held centrally does not allow a breakdown of cases by borough in the Inner London area

Offensive Weapons

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many persons have been (a) charged with, and (b) convicted of offences relating to unlawful (i) marketing of knives and (ii) publications in connection with the marketing of knives under sections 1 and 2 of the Knives Act 1997 in each of the last four years; and what proportion received a custodial sentence in each year;
	(2)  how many persons have been (a) charged with and (b) convicted of an offence under section 6 of the Offensive Weapons Act 1996 in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what proportion received a custodial sentence in each year.

Hazel Blears: Statistics on the number of persons charged with a crime are not collected centrally. The information contained in the table gives the number of defendants proceeded against at the magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for the offences requested, England and Wales 1999 to 2003. No sentences of immediate custody were given for these offences; the sentence breakdown for each offence has been provided. Statistics on court proceedings for 2004 will be published in the autumn. 
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty and sentenced at all courts for certain knife offences(50)England and Wales 1999 to 2003
		
			  Offence description  Statute  Year Proceeded against Found guilty  Sentenced 
		
		
			 Unlawful Knives 1999 5   
			 marketing of knives Act 1997, 2000 3 2 2 
			  sec. 1 2001 2   
			   2002 5 3 2 
			   2003 3   
			   
			 Publication of any Knives 1999 1   
			 written, pictorial or Act 1997, 2000
			 other material in sec. 2 2001
			 connection with the  2002
			 marketing of knivessuggesting the knife is suitable for combat  2003
			   
			 Any person who sells to a person under age of 16 yrs a knife; knife blade, razor blade, axe and any other article which has a blade, that is sharply pointed and which is made or adapted for use for causing injury to the person Criminal Justice Act 1988, sec. 141A(1) added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec.6(1) 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 3  9 11 17 2  8 10 17 2  8 10 17 
		
	
	
		
			Sentence breakdown 
			  Offence description  Statute  Year Conditional discharge  Fine Otherwise dealt with 
		
		
			 Unlawful marketing Knives 1999
			 of Knives Act 1997, 2000  2  
			  sec. 1 2001
			   2002 1 1  
			   2003
			   
			 Publication of any written, pictorial or other material in connection with the marketing of knivessuggesting the knife is suitable for combat Knives Act 1997, sec. 2 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
			   
			 Any person who sells to a person under age of 16 yrs a knife; knife blade, razor blade, axe and any other article which has a blade, that is sharply pointed and which is made or adapted for use for causing injury to the person Criminal Justice Act 1988, sec. 141A(1) added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec.6(1) 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2 1  8 10 14 11 
		
	
	(50)These data are on the principal offence basis

Passports

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted for fraudulently using a UK passport in London in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: Data from the Home Office Court Proceedings database on the number of people found guilty of fraudulently using a UK passport under S.26(1)(d) Immigration Act 1971 in London, 1999 to 2003 is contained in the table.
	
		Number of offenders found guilty for offences under S.26 (1 )(d) Immigration Act 1971 in London, 19992003(51)(5507980052)
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1999 4 
			 2000 1 
			 2001 2 
			 2002 1 
			 2003 2 
		
	
	(51)These data are on the principal immigration offence basis.
	(52)Includes Metropolitan and City of London police force areas.
	Note:
	Statistics for 2004 court proceedings will be available in the autumn.

Police

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for each London borough police officers, what the (a) establishment, (b) current number in post and (c) number on sickness absence and recuperative duties is; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Data provided by the Metropolitan police on police officer numbers and budgeted workforce totals for each London Operational Command Unit at 31 March 2005, is shown in the following table. We do not hold comparable data on the number of officers in each operational command unit on sick leave or on recuperative duties.
	
		Police officer strength for London borough operational command units as at 31 March 2005
		
			  Territorial policing   Boroughs Budgeted workforce total Strength 
		
		
			 BS Kensington and Chelsea 553.00 555.59 
			 CW Westminster 1,562.00 1,589.24 
			 EK Camden 817.00 845.41 
			 FH Hammersmith and Fulham 523.00 522.15 
			 GD Hackney 792.00 783.12 
			 HT Tower Hamlets 751.00 755.40 
			 JC Waltham Forest 536.00 542.84 
			 JI Redbridge 437.00 453.64 
			 KD Havering 360.00 381.32 
			 KF Newham 776.00 774.33 
			 KG Barking and Dagenham 413.00 418.48 
			 LX Lambeth 991.00 974.06 
			 MD Southwark 867.00 884.42 
			 NI Islington 675.00 679.95 
			 PL Lewisham 625.00 642.94 
			 PY Bromley 458.00 485.39 
			 QA Harrow' 334.00 339.24 
			 QK Brent 678.00 675.40 
			 RG Greenwich 592.80 601.23 
			 RY Bexley 364.00 380.15 
			 SX Barnet 544.00 553.93 
			 TW Richmond upon Thames 285.00 284.00 
			 TX Hounslow 493.00 501.35 
			 VK Kingston upon Thames 276.00 292.79 
			 VW Merton 338.00 349.70 
			 WW Wandsworth 580.00 574.25 
			 XB Ealing 675.00 679.12 
			 XH Hillingdon 483.00 494.55 
			 YE Enfield 552.00 572.66 
			 YR Haringey 680.00 679.81 
			 ZD Croydon 660.00 689.01 
			 ZT Sutton 285.00 288.23 
			  Borough total l8,955.80 19,243.70

Police

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  for each London borough by each rank up to chief inspector, (a) how many and (b) what percentage of police officers are aged (i) over 40, (ii) over 45 and (iii) over 50; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many detectives in each London borough Metropolitan Police Service are in post; at what rank; how many hold (a) temporary, (b) acting and (c) trainees positions; how many have held that rank for less than two years; what the establishment is for each detective rank; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not centrally collected. The deployment of officers and police staff to borough operational command units is a matter for the commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.

Police

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the (a) Chief Constable and (b) Police Authority in Gloucestershire regarding structural re-organisation.

Hazel Blears: At the Association of Chief Police Officers' conference on 19 May, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary made it clear that he did not believe that the current structure of 43 forces was the most efficient and effective arrangement for organising policing in England and Wales. He also made clear that he had no blueprint for force amalgamations, but that the initiative for such amalgamations should ideally be driven locally. To inform the way forward, the Home Secretary has commissioned Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary to examine the issue of force structures. As well as looking at the case for structural changes, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary will also be examining the case for greater collaboration and co-operation between forces. Following the Home Secretary's speech, the chairman of the Gloucestershire Police Authority raised the matter of force amalgamations with the Home Office Director of Policing Policy who relayed to the Chairman the position as set out above.

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been made against police officers in each year since 1997 in (a) Southend and (b) Essex; and what action has been taken against the officers concerned.

Hazel Blears: The chief constable has responsibility for the day to day operational management of the force. I will ensure that he receives a copy of the question and replies to you directly in response to your concerns.

Police

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that performance related pay for superintendents and chief superintendents reflects the (a) demands on, and (b) resources available to, the officer concerned; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Performance-related pay for superintending ranks was introduced in September 2004 by mutual agreement. Both the official and staff sides are committed to its success and ensuring it is applied fairly and consistently. The operation of the scheme is being reviewed through the Police Negotiating Board.

Police

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 7 June 2005, Official Report, column 518W, on police precepts, if he will provide figures per capita of the population for each police authority in each year from 199798 to 200506.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 21 June 2005
	The information is set out in the following table.
	
		
		
			  Precept per head of population 
			 Police authority 199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 17.47 18.56 20.68 23.12 24.93 28.73 39.52 44.51 46.62 
			 Bedfordshire 17.41 18.64 20.54 22.46 23.64 26.58 31.84 36.63 38.52 
			 Cambridgeshire 16.87 15.96 17.27 20.72 22.73 31.63 39.48 45.46 47.40 
			 Cheshire 17.51 18.68 19.71 21.55 23.04 26.32 31.84 35.48 37.38 
			 Cleveland 15.37 13.66 17.73 18.68 20.09 27.90 36.11 41.35 42.97 
			 Cumbria 18.82 23.61 25.61 27.79 30.29 33.87 44.77 52.70 54.69 
			 Derbyshire 15.76 17.68 20.46 22.24 23.81 29.12 36.46 40.20 41.89 
			 Devon and Cornwall 17.06 16.73 18.61 20.64 21.76 25.97 36.89 41.35 43.77 
			 Dorset 24.47 27.35 30.07 32.87 35.98 40.25 48.75 54.43 57.96 
			 Durham 14.62 13.68 14.26 15.02 16.24 18.75 23.90 27.73 29.35 
			 Dyfed-Powys 17.33 21.43 26.45 31.18 33.41 36.22 45.88 52.87 56.23 
			 Essex 19.44 22.55 23.72 25.03 26.26 28.76 34.96 37.49 39.74 
			 Gloucestershire 18.18 20.54 24.72 28.27 29.89 34.38 52.45 58.25 60.92 
			 Greater Manchester 15.58 16.32 17.50 18.26 18.97 20.21 28.10 30.03 32.04 
			 Gwent 15.58 17.41 19.30 24.52 27.75 31.71 40.58 47.61 51.34 
			 Hampshire 18.23 17.72 19.09 19.60 21.05 26.97 35.31 39.59 41.73 
			 Hertfordshire 20.48 23.44 25.26 27.16 28.92 32.29 39.96 46.00 48.35 
			 Humberside 15.11 15.34 16.14 17.95 25.79 28.90 35.28 41.18 42.88 
			 Kent 18.50 17.47 19.03 20.27 21.92 26.80 35.35 39.66 41.85 
			 Lancashire 16.03 16.23 17.67 19.31 21.17 23.18 27.95 32.28 34.60 
			 Leicestershire 15.71 18.47 19.44 20.91 23.38 29.71 33.55 38.42 40.68 
			 Lincolnshire 21.90 25.18 26.33 28.08 29.70 31.43 34.46 36.96 39.45 
			 Merseyside 18.94 20.47 22.22 23.53 25.17 28.02 31.03 33.98 35.84 
			 Metropolitan 24.26 29.38 31.69 34.56 44.59 49.04 61.80 70.95 75.95 
			 Norfolk 16.87 18.04 21.73 24.42 28.38 34.14 42.23 48.56 50.89 
			 North Wales 17.11 20.75 23.96 28.59 30.47 35.78 47.19 56.80 63.25 
			 North Yorkshire 17.78 17.47 18.99 20.80 22.97 32.58 57.99 64.81 66.60 
			 Northamptonshire 22.40 22.20 24.69 25.99 27.42 35.22 43.99 50.51 52.44 
			 Northumbria 14.77 13.49 14.21 14.88 16.12 17.02 19.20 20.36 21.25 
			 Nottinghamshire 14.46 15.88 18.13 19.36 20.97 25.71 33.83 37.27 39.23 
			 South Wales 15.88 18.17 21.17 26.24 28.02 29.49 35.66 40.25 43.60 
			 South Yorkshire 14.47 14.79 15.48 16.23 17.37 20.65 27.15 29.96 31.47 
			 Staffordshire 16.77 22.34 24.36 25.92 29.66 32.08 41.11 45.36 47.99 
			 Suffolk 17.20 17.63 18.94 20.71 22.92 28.05 38.35 42.64 44.58 
			 Surrey 19.40 28.94 32.78 34.81 36.09 42.05 60.17 65.84 69.33 
			 Sussex 19.87 19.69 20.58 21.51 22.83 27.00 38.71 42.29 44.56 
			 Thames Valley 19.84 19.13 21.31 22.81 24.41 27.81 41.15 46.97 49.32 
			 Warwickshire 18.39 22.00 25.38 27.71 30.88 37.22 43.60 47.01 49.13 
			 West Mercia 17.64 18.83 20.79 26.21 28.09 37.48 42.85 49.54 51.76 
			 West Midlands 15.00 13.87 14.62 15.71 16.49 18.01 21.35 23.81 25.04 
			 West Yorkshire 15.12 15.09 15.86 17.13 17.90 22.53 26.96 30.98 32.90 
			 Wiltshire 19.94 22.85 25.11 27.80 30.65 33.79 41.04 45.14 47.63 
		
	
	Source:
	Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the National Assembly for Wales.

Police

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vehicles were purchased by police forces in England and Wales in the financial years 2001 to 2005; and how many, and what proportion of those were assembled in the UK.

Hazel Blears: This information is not held centrally. Decisions regarding procurement are operational matters for the Chief Constable and Police Authority.

Project Iris

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost is of the contract with SAGEM to supply the Iris based immigration system as part of Project Iris.

Tony McNulty: The cost of the five year contract awarded to SAGEM to deliver the Iris biometric automated border entry system for pre-registered travellers at 10 airport terminals in the United Kingdom is 2.86 million.

Public Order Act

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people (a) over 18 years and (b) under 18 years were prosecuted for offences under section (i) 1, (ii) 2, (iii) 3, (iv) 4, (v) 4(a) and (vi)5.5 of the Public Order Act 1986 in each of the last three years; and how many were convicted in each case.

Hazel Blears: The information contained in the following table gives the number of defendants proceeded against at the magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under the Public Order Act 1986, Secs one, two, three, four, 4A and five, in England and Wales from 2001 to 2003. Statistics on court proceedings for 2004 will be published in the autumn.
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for certain offences under the Public Order Act 1986(53), England and Wales 2001 to 2003
		
			Aged 10 to 17 
			 Offence description  Statute  Year Proceeded against Found guilty 
		
		
			 Riot Public Order Act 1986, 2001 9 7 
			  Sec 1 2002 37 34 
			   2003 3 2 
			  
			 Violent Public Order Act 1986, 2001 1,214 155 
			 disorder Sec 2 2002 996 182 
			   2003 897 194 
			  
			 Affray Public Order Act 1986, 2001 3,169 1,236 
			  Sec 3 2002 3,026 1,233 
			   2003 2,821 1,152 
			  
			 Fear or Public Order Act 1986, 2001 2,597 1,532 
			 provocation Sec 4 as amended by 2002 2,519 1,527 
			 of violence(54) Crime and Disorder Act 1998 Sec31(1)(a) and (4) 2003 2,529 1,535 
			  
			 Causing Public Order Act 1986, 2001 526 224 
			 intentional Sec 4A as amended by 2002 453 214 
			 harassment, alarm or distress(55) Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 154 2003 466 238 
			  
			 Harassment, Public Order Act 1986, 2001 4,763 2,819 
			 alarm or Sec 5 as amended by 2002 4,442 2,685 
			 distress(56) Crime and Disorder Act 1998, Sec 31 (1)(c) and (5) 2003 4,846 2,984 
		
	
	
		
		
			Aged 18 and over 
			 Offence description  Statute  Year Proceeded against Found guilty 
			 Riot Public Order Act 1986, 2001 71 3 
			  Sec 1 2002 124 99 
			   2003 34 43 
			  
			 Violent Public Order Act 1986, 2001 3,373 513 
			 disorder Sec 2 2002 2,720 704 
			   2003 2,380 625 
			  
			 Affray Public Order Act 1986, 2001 13,641 5,965 
			  Sec 3 2002 13,392 5,949 
			   2003 12,970 5,893 
			  
			 Fear or Public Order Act 1986, 2001 14,826 10,043 
			 provocation Sec 4 as amended by 2002 14,883 10,106 
			 of violence(54) Crime and Disorder Act 1998 Sec31(1)(a) and (4) 2003 14,962 10,314 
			  
			 Causing Public Order Act 1986, 2001 1873 972 
			 intentional Sec 4A as amended by 2002 1817 976 
			 harassment, alarm or distress(55) Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 154 2003 2028 1113 
			  
			 Harassment, Public Order Act 1986, 2001 19,621 13,394 
			 alarm or Sec 5 as amended by 2002 20,235 13,987 
			 distress(56) Crime and Disorder Act 1998, Sec 31 (1)(c) and (5) 2003 21,852 15,416 
		
	
	
		
		
			All ages 
			 Offence description  Statute  Year Proceeded against Found guilty 
			 Riot Public Order Act 1986, 2001 80 10 
			  Sec 1 2002 161 133 
			   2003 37 45 
			  
			 Violent Public Order Act 1986, 2001 4,587 668 
			 disorder Sec 2 2002 3,716 886 
			   2003 3,277 819 
			  
			 Affray Public Order Act 1986, 2001 16,810 7,201 
			  Sec 3 2002 16,418 7,182 
			   2003 15,791 7,045 
			  
			 Fear or Public Order Act 1986, 2001 17,423 11,575 
			 provocation Sec 4 as amended by 2002 17,402 11,633 
			 of violence(54) Crime and Disorder Act 1998 Sec31(1)(a) and (4) 2003 17,491 11,849 
			  
			 Causing Public Order Act 1986, 2001 2,399 1,196 
			 intentional Sec as amended by 2002 2,270 1,190 
			 harassment, alarm or distress(55) Criminal Justice 4A and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 154 2003 2,494 1,351 
			  
			 Harassment, Public Order Act 1986, 2001 24,384 16,213 
			 alarm or Sec 5 as amended by 2002 24,677 16,672 
			 distress(56) Crime and Disorder Act 1998, Sec 31 (1)(c) and (5) 2003 26,698 18,400 
		
	
	(53)These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(54)Includes offences: Racially aggravated fear or provocation of violence, Religiously aggravated fear or provocation of violence and Racially or religiously aggravated fear or provocation of violence.
	(55)Includes offences: Racially aggravated causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress, Religiously aggravated causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress and Racially or religiously aggravated causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress.
	(56)Includes offences: Racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress, Religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress and Racially or religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress.

Right of Abode

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of British nationals have the right of abode in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The expression British national is not used or defined in our nationality legislation, but is commonly understood to refer to the following:
	British citizens;
	British overseas territories citizens;
	British overseas citizens;
	British subjects;
	British nationals (overseas); and
	British protected persons.
	Because these statuses are in most cases acquired through the automatic operation of law it is not possible to say precisely how many people fall into each category and, thus, what proportion have the right of abode in the United Kingdom.

Shoplifting

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of shoplifters brought to police attention were (a) taken into custody, (b) charged, (c) prosecuted and (d) convicted in each year from 1997 to 2004.

Hazel Blears: Statistics on the number of people brought to the attention of the police for shoplifting who were taken into custody or charged are not centrally collected. Available information from the Home Office Court Proceeding database giving the number of persons prosecuted and found guilty for the offence stealing from shops and stalls England and Wales for the years 1997 to 2003 is shown in the table. Statistics on court proceedings for 2004 will be available in the autumn.
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under S1 Theft Act 1968, England and Wales, 1997 to 2003(57)Offence: Stealing from shops and stalls
		
			  Proceeded against Found guilty 
		
		
			 1997 69,666 58,401 
			 1998 77,915 66,690 
			 1999 85,491 74,350 
			 2000 89,050 77,542 
			 2001 92,233 79,933 
			 2002 92,664 80,167 
			 2003 86,089 74,928 
		
	
	(57)These data are on the principal offence basis.

Student Visas

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the number of non-EU students studying in the UK of increasing the charges for student visas.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	UKvisas is committed to working with the education sector through the newly formed Joint Education Task Force to examine any relationship between fees and student visa application numbers. Visa fees are generally a relatively small part of the overall students costs and there are many other factors; course costs, cost of living, exchange rates that influence the decision of where to study. Following the fee increase in 2002, the number of student applications during 200304 increased by approximately 24 per cent.

Student Visas

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the higher education sector on the likely impact of increased charges for student visas on future revenue for UK universities.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	UKvisas wrote to stakeholders on 15 April about the proposed fee increases. UKvisas subsequently received a number of representations from individual higher and further educational establishments and from representative bodies including UKCOSA (the Council for International Education), Universities UK (UUK), Association of Colleges (AoC) Association of Independent Higher Education Providers (AIHEP), EnglishUK, National Union of Students (NUS). UKvisas wrote again to education stakeholders on 16 May, including with details of the costing methodology for the fee increase and details of the kinds of abuse being perpetrated in the student visa sector by bogus applicants.
	My noble Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister responsible for entry clearance (Lord Triesman of Tottenham), and my hon. Friend the Home Office Minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Nationality (Mr. McNulty), held a meeting with the education sector on 24 May to discuss stakeholder concerns and to explain the rationale for the fee increases. UKvisas is working to develop further the dialogue on visa matters with the education sector through the Home Office-chaired Joint Education task Force.

Student Visas

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the effects of increasing the charges for student visas on future revenue for UK universities from fees paid by non-EU students.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	There is no direct evidence of a causal relationship between visa fee levels and UK University income affecting one or the other. However UK visas is committed, including through its participation in the Joint Education Task Force, to developing further the dialogue with the education sector and improving the evidence base on all aspects of the impact of the visa operation on that sector.

Student Visas

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the likely revenue from increasing charges for non-EU student visas.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	In financial year 200506, estimated revenue from all student visa fees globally will be 24,430,815.

Telecommunications Masts

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there have been preliminary results from the survey into the health effects of Tetra Systems being carried out by Imperial College announced in May 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Health Monitoring Study being carried out by Imperial College will last for 15 years. Preliminary results are not expected for some time yet.

Thames Valley Police

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were allocated to each local force within the Thames Valley police area in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 27 June 2005
	Information on the number of officers in Basic Command Units has only been collected since 2002 and is set out in the table. Data for the position on 31 March 2005 will be published shortly on the Home Office website. The Basic Command Units have access to the force's additional centrally provided operational units, such as tactical support and crime support. The deployment of officers to Basic Command Units is an operational matter for the Chief Constable (Mr. Peter Neyroud).
	
		Basic Command Unit police officer strengthMarch 2001 to March 2004
		
			 Basic Command Unit March 2002 March 2003 March 2004 
		
		
			 Aylesbury Vale 177 194 196 
			 Chiltern Vale 298 293 321 
			 Milton Keynes 343 346 371 
			 Northern Oxfordshire 281 301 296 
			 Oxford 316 317 336 
			 Reading and Wokingham 369 387 434 
			 Slough and District 254 264 297 
			 Southern Oxfordshire 253 255 267 
			 Thames Forest 309 307 339 
			 West Berkshire 160 159 185 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. March 2002 data provided to HM Inspectorate of Constabulary.
	2. Subsequent years provided to Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate.
	3. All figures are full-time equivalent strength.

Underage Drinking

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to change the legislation relating to the drinking of alcohol to make it an offence to drink in public if a person is under the age of 18.

Hazel Blears: The Government carried out a fundamental review of the alcohol licensing regime which resulted in the Licensing Act 2003. The suggestion that a change to the legislation relating to the drinking of alcohol to make it an offence to drink in public if a person is under the age of 18 did not feature in the responses to the public consultation on those proposals, nor during the passage of the Bill through Parliament. The Confiscation of Alcohol (Young Persons) Act 1997, as amended by the Licensing Act 2003 to allow the confiscation of sealed containers, already provides the police with a power of confiscation where young people are drinking on the street. The 1997 Act was designed to allow the police to deal with situations where drinking causes a nuisance to others or may lead to further bad behaviour. It does not create an offence for a young person to have an alcoholic drink in a public place and the police are not under a duty to confiscate alcohol from underage drinkers. During the course of the legislation, Parliament made it clear that it did not wish the power to be used where young people's drinking was not perceived to be a problem, for instance at a family picnic.

Violent Crime Reduction Bill

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether restaurants and hotels with publicly accessible bars will be exempt from the alcohol disorder zone proposals in the Violent Crime Reduction Bill.

Hazel Blears: The Violent Crime Reduction Bill provides for exemptions to be made from the charge in Alcohol Disorder Zones, where the principal use to which the premises is put do not include alcohol, and the availability of alcohol is not the main reason why individuals enter or remain on the premises. The intention is to exclude restaurants from the charge. Providing that a hotel also met the above criteria, then the establishment would be exempt from the charge.

Zimbabwe

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on whether Zimbabwe is a safe country in which to return asylum seekers.

Tony McNulty: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 27 June 2005, Official Report, columns 102324W.